


Rebound

by andtheny



Series: Phantom Pain [7]
Category: Danny Phantom
Genre: Bisexual Danny Fenton, Bullying, Danny/Sidney, Gay Dash Baxter, Gen, Homophobic Language, M/M, One-Sided Attraction, Possession, Separate Danny Fenton and Danny Phantom, Sharing a Body, Sort Of, for a little bit - Freeform, with a plot twist
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-04
Updated: 2020-08-08
Packaged: 2021-01-23 02:39:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 24,772
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21312814
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/andtheny/pseuds/andtheny
Summary: "Okay," Sam said. "What the hell did you do to Dash?""I didn't do anything," Tucker said.  "The dude has been possessed."Danny didn't even hear him. He exploded."Did Dash ask me on a date?!"Sam looked at Danny. She looked at Tucker.Tucker was about to reply but she held a finger against his lips. "Okay stop," she said. "Pause."There was a moment of silence.Then she glared at Tucker. "Did Dash ask him on a date?""Guys, that's not what's important here!"
Relationships: Danny Fenton & Sidney Poindexter, Dash Baxter & Danny Fenton, Sam Manson & Dash Baxter
Series: Phantom Pain [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1383205
Comments: 135
Kudos: 159





	1. Chapter 1

They were in the locker room.

"I can't just _ ignore _ him," Dash said. "He's always provoking me." 

Kwan always had to take his sweet time in the shower after practice. He was barely toweling off while Dash waited, eyes averted.

"Uh, he doesn't do anything much," Kwan said. "I know you have a history, but-"

"We don't have a history," Dash grumbled.

He stood against his locker with his arms crossed while Kwan got dressed.

"I just don't see what the big deal is." Kwan dressed quickly, probably noticing the way Dash was tapping his foot. "And Paulina says-"

"She's full of shit." Dash slammed the door open on their way out. It smacked a band geek who'd been walking by.

Kwan snickered, but Dash didn't react. He didn't give a shit about the band nerds anymore. 

He quickened his pace, angrier somehow, and Kwan struggled to keep up.

"I think it makes sense," Kwan said. "His parents-"

"It makes the opposite of sense," Dash said. "It makes, uh..."

"Nonsense?" 

They both frowned. 

"Anyway, Phantom wouldn't want anything to do with the Fentons." Dash started to tally reasons on one hand. "They build nothing but ghost weapons-"

"Didn't they also make that cool force field thingy?"

Dash plowed on as if he hadn't spoken. "They're always ranting about ghosts as if they've got rabies or something-"

"Well, there was that fire-"

"And Phantom saved everyone!" Dash said. "He was carrying people out and-"

"Preaching to the choir dude." Kwan used his hand to shade his eyes as they stepped out of the school. "Look, it's just her theory. And unless you can prove her wrong-"

"Just look at his smug face and-" 

"Unless you can prove her wrong," Kwan repeated. "You've got to lay off." 

Dash kicked a soda can under a car and didn't respond. 

"Forget about Fenton." Kwan unlocked his car. "Let's do something fun."

Dash paused before getting in the passenger seat. He patted all his pockets; pants, jacket, backpack- big zippers and little. "Fuck, I left my phone." 

"Aw man." Kwan re-locked his car, closing the drivers side door as if to go back into the school with him.

"Nah, man you go on," Dash said. "I'll catch another ride." 

He jogged back towards the school, fully aware that his phone had been in his inner jacket pocket all along.

If Paulina was right Dash wanted to get to the bottom of it himself. Knowing her, she'd try to seduce the answers out of Fenton.

He'd rather beat it out of him.

Phantom was more than just a hero. He was...

Dash wanted the chance to talk to him. Though it seemed crazy to imagine a badass like him hanging around with humans, apparently Paulina had gotten that opportunity.

It was just twice, she'd said, and she'd glanced down and blushed as if-

Well, Paulina got every guy she wanted. Even the super guys, apparently. 

He managed to grab Fenton before he'd made it out of the building and he unceremoniously picked him up, slinging him over his shoulder.

Manson put up a fuss, following and punching Dash on the back. Fenton kicked, flailing around and not doing much damage. 

He ignored their yammering (he'd timed this perfectly, the teachers were all in a staff meeting on the second floor) and stuffed Fenton into a random locker. 

_ ~bul~ly~ _

"... violation of basic human rights and dignity," Manson was saying. "If you think you're untouchable just because you're a football star-"

"Can it, Manson." Dash slammed his shoulder into the locker door, bending the metal inwards and making Fenton yelp.

_ ~buuul~ly~ _

She paled. 

"I have serious business with Fenturd today," Dash said. "You want him back in one piece? Tell him there's just one thing I wanna know." 

"I can hear you just fine, Dash!" Fenton groaned. "The hell do you want?" 

Dash grinned. This was the most Fenton had said to him all month.

But before he could get started on his interrogation, Manson jumped on his back.

At first he tried to just shake her off- a little hesitant to hurt girls, even weirdo ones- but she just wouldn't budge. 

Dash had no choice.

_ ~bully!~ _

Something in the back of his head was bothering him, but Dash ignored it. He slammed his back against the locker. He could hear the air leaving her lungs in a huff and he winced, but it got the job done. She fell off him.

_ ~BULLY~ _

Dash flinched, looking from her to the locker Fenton was in.

She'd landed on the floor, but she was in between them now.

Fenton's baby blue eyes were staring through the cracks. "Sam! Sam, are you okay?" 

She was shaky, but she stood back up. 

"Look, I just have a simple question." Dash took a step back from her, hands raised. 

She glared at him and then spun around, grabbing the latch to the locker Fenton was trapped in.

"Don't let him out yet!" Dash grabbed her arms and she shook him off. "Just stay out of the way!"

He pushed her aside and she flew.

She fell.

**~BULLY~**

Dash wasn't trying to hurt her, he just wanted Fenton. She was always in the fucking way! 

"Sam!" Fenton pounded on the locker door. "Sam! Is she okay? Sam!" 

He'd accidentally knocked her out. 

His head was pounding. 

**~BULLY~BULLY~BULLY~**

"She's fine!" Dash said. "Forget about her for a second." 

"I can't see her." Fenton had always had such huge goddamn eyes. They were all Dash could see through the locker slits. 

He'd never seen them like this before. Teary.

Wait, no, he had. In elementary school.

It had been so easy to make him cry back then.

It had filled him with pride, watching tears stream down his face. Dash felt an echo of that pride now, but there was also something else.

His ears were ringing.

**~you will learn to cry~**

"L-look," Dash said. "Paulina thinks you have a way to contact Phantom." 

"Jesus fucking christ, Dash!" Fenton was banging on the locker door again. He managed to undo some of the dent in it. "You're such a fucking asshole..."

Fenton kept talking, but Dash couldn't hear what else he was saying.

The ringing in his ears had gotten too loud.

**~you will be pushed and kicked~you will be bullied~**

Then Dash blacked out.


	2. Chapter 2

The Fenton Phones were in his pocket, but he wouldn't call Phantom for help because

1, It would prove Paulina right and

2, He'd just been waiting for a chance to use the little blaster on his utility belt.

He thought that chance would have come with their fight with Ember, but he'd Hulked out instead.

Or, uh, Dragon'ed out. And Phantom had confiscated the amulet, afterwards.

But the blaster was filled with ectoplasm, not bullets or even lasers. Instead of freeing him it just sort of blinded Danny and splattered the inside of the locker door.

Some of it oozed out of the slates.

God, Danny thought. Some weapon. 

It shouldn't be possible for a ghost to skateboard so easily, Phantom thought. 

Not that Johnny was a pro. He tried a complicated jump where he kicked the board into a spin. The board landed wheels up and Johnny, when his feet connected, pinwheeled his arms and skidded with a painful scrapping of wood and concrete.

And then he fell.

He floated himself up before his chin could meet the ground, but he ripped the twin holes at the knees of his jeans wider. 

"It's like you almost forgot you could fly," Phantom said.

"Fuck off, asswhipe," Johnny said. He picked his skateboard back up and glanced from it to Phantom. "Ain't you bored yet? 'M not used to a mother fucking audience." 

"Is that why you come while the other skaters are at school?" 

Phantom had been floating in place in what had become his favorite "sitting" position, with his legs crossed like a levitating monk, but now he tried to plant his feet on the ground.

He ended up bouncing slightly. It was like trying to stand still on a trampoline while someone else was jumping. 

Johnny groaned. "It's always twenty questions with you." 

"You're so good at looking human though," Phantom said. "You could hang out with the other skaters if you wanted to." 

Johnny scoffed. "I got no use out of palling around with a buncha kiddos." He glared at Phantom. "One kid licking my heels is bad enough." 

"How old were you when you died?" Phantom said. "I thought you were a high school kid." 

"I keep sayin' it don't matter." Johnny glanced at the sky. In exasperation? Sometimes Johnny would get this look on his face, like he'd take a break from being grumpy and cool.

Was it melancholy? Phantom found that hard to believe.

"Okay, okay." Phantom gave up on trying to stand still and resumed his Zen float. "I'll leave you alone and stop asking you questions for the rest of eternity if you help me with something." 

Johnny tilted his head. "Go on." 

He was still standing firmly on the ground, holding his skateboard. He was glowing, but Phantom had seen him turn the glow off. He needed to know how.

But more importantly, "How do you control the floaty-ness?" 

Johnny laughed. "The what now?" 

To demonstrate, Phantom tried again to plant his feet on the ground. He landed so roughly that he bounced twice as high this time and was forced to do a little flip to get himself back down.

Johnny tisked. "My, my, monkey boy. Here I thought you was trapeze-in' for your own entertainment." 

How does he know a word like trapeze and still use words like ain't? Phantom thought. Johnny's way of speaking was full of weird contrasts like that. 

"I mean, sometimes it's fun to goof around," Phantom said. "But sometimes I want to try and pass for human. Like you, you know? Turn off the glow too, if I can." 

Johnny grinned. "That one's the hard thing." 

"I'll worry about it later then." Phantom was pacing around the ramps now, using their peeks as stepping stones. Then he got to that railing thing and pretended he was on a tightrope.

On a tightrope and human. Move one foot at a time, directly in front of each other, arms out and wobbly.

Johnny was leaning back on a ramp now, watching with his arms behind his head. "Doin' fine on your own, kid." 

Phantom made it all the way across the railing and then gently floated off.

He walked back to Johnny with smaller jumps. He was still on the moon... Or maybe now he was on Mars. The space between his jumps was smaller, the gravity turned up.

"Dude, what's the difference between the railing and the regular ground?" Johnny said.

"I don't know?" Phantom said. "Some places are just easier to keep my feet on. Easiest is the ceiling." 

"Uh-huh," Johnny said. "On account of an eternity of no more questions..."

"Yeah?" 

"What do you think about when you're walking on the ceiling?" 

Phantom grinned. "Spiderman." 

"Well, there ya go." Johnny said. "He's sticky ain't he? Just be Spiderman everywhere." 

Phantom frowned. "I can't think about Spiderman twenty four seven."

"Then what were you thinking about on the railing?" 

"That it was a tightrope," Phantom said. "But that doesn't always work 'cause I have to talk myself into thinking it'll matter when I fall. And I usually can't." 

Johnny sat forward, elbows on his knees. "And what do you think about when you're walking around the res' a the time?" 

"That I'm on the moon," Phantom said. "Or Mars. Sometimes I'm on the space station orbiting around Earth. Sometimes on a ship on its way to-"

"Ima stop you right there," Johnny said. "That's your whole problem." 

"Yeah?" 

"Dude, just stop being a moonwalker." Johnny stood. "Get your head out of space. Walk on Earth." 

Phantom thought about his Zen monk levitating imagery and realized he'd been thinking backwards this whole time. 

He thought he was placing metaphors on what was going on around him, but the metaphors were what caused what was going on around him. 

But if he felt like he was swimming through the air didn't he "swim" or fly, before he thought it? Wasn't that the default? 

Johnny clapped. "Congratulations Major Tom." 

Phantom looked down. Boots firmly planted. 

Huh. Guess floating really wasn't the default. He'd been so distracted by Fenton, that last time, that he'd stopped thinking about being a ghost. 

Had stopped feeling like an astronaut on a foreign planet. 

"That's great," Phantom said. "Now, the glowing..." 

Now that he thought about it, this technically wasn't the first time Dash had stuffed him in a locker. 

Danny had a vague memory of Phantom mentioning it after he'd spent a couple hours in a Fenton thermos. 

But it was _ his _ first experience with it and it was one he'd rather have lived without. Plus he was taller than Phantom must've been when it happened to him. His neck was cramping from the angle he was hunched at. His legs were going numb.

He didn't have enough wriggle room to reach into his pocket. 

His elbow was right up against the door so he banged on it again. "Sam?!"

Had Dash left? He'd stopped responding. 

"Sam, please tell me you aren't bleeding out or something," Danny said. "Did Dash flee a crime scene? C'mon."

He could feel the Fenton Phones pressed against his thighs. He managed to get two fingers into his pocket, but not far enough.

Then the door opened and he almost fell out.

Someone caught him.

"Sorry about that, buddy," Dash said. "I know I'm bad news, but enough is enough, eh? Let's get your girl and call it square." 

Dash set Danny on his feet.

Then his knees buckled and Dash had to catch him again. It was a weird almost hug.

"Well, ain't that a bite," Dash murmured.

"My legs are numb, you prick," Danny said. "But I'd rather fall. Get the fuck off me." 

Dash helped him slide down to the floor. 

Was this normal behavior for him? Technically Danny didn't know the guy very well, but this was an odd mood change. 

He was kneeling in front of Danny now, looking contrite. 

Nearby, Sam groaned. 

Danny gave his legs a punch and quickly crawled over to her. Dash made as if to follow. "Back off," Danny said. 

Dash stayed put. 

Okay this was scary. The good behaviour was probably because of Sam. Danny frantically looked for a wound, for blood.

There was none that he could see, but her hair was jet black and the injury was probably at the back of her head? 

As gently as possible, he lifted her head and felt around the way he'd seen his mom do for his dad one time when he'd knocked himself out on a pipe. 

He found the bruise, but it didn't feel too bad.

Sam opened her eyes.

He realized he was sort of cradling her and gave her an awkward smile. "Sorry," he said. "Just looking for blood." 

"That's romantic," she muttered. 

He grinned. If she still had energy for sarcasm she'd be fine. 

"Let's get her to a nurse," Dash said. "Let me carry her for you." 

Danny helped Sam sit up and they shared a look. Thankfully she seemed just as baffled by this offer as he was. 

Dash gave his own arm a squeeze, grinning. "I got the guns for it." 

Danny glared at him and Dash put his hands up like he was about to be mugged. "You don't need to _ worry _. I'm no bird dog." 

"What." Sam blinked at Dash several times. Long slow blinks. "Is he drunk?" 

"Does alcohol make you bi-polar?" Danny said. 

"Real smog in the noggin, I bet," Dash said. "But I'm, uh..."

He seemed to search for the right thing to say. He glanced around the empty hallway, then snapped his fingers. "I'm turning over a new leaf," he said. "From this day forth, I will bully no more! And I'll-"

"Shut up," Sam said. "You're too damn loud." 

"Headache?" Danny said. 

She nodded, then winced. 

The blood flow had returned to his legs by now. Good enough anyway, that Danny could stand and help Sam to her feet. 

Dash stood too and said, in a whisper, "Look I'm real sorry I harassed you and your girl-"

"Would you stop calling me that?" Sam said. "We seriously aren't dating, and even if we were-"

_"Hot dog_ _,"_ Dash said. "A dark fuzzy duck like you, I mean I might have, but now-"

He glanced at Danny.

Sort of got stuck there. It was weird, the way he was staring now. Danny looked away. "Will you give it a rest? Leave us alone." 

Dash nodded, really fast little nods. "Sure, sure. I'll make like a tree." 

He walked away, but backwards. 

Kept staring at them until he bumped into a wall. Then he laughed at himself and properly turned around, walking with his back straight as a ruler. 

"The fuck is wrong with him?" Sam said. 

Danny shrugged. "The nurse probably went home already," he said. "But my mom's great at first aid." 

She sighed. "It's not visible right? I don't want a lecture when I get home." 

"You're good in that department." 

"Great, let's go to your place." 

Danny swallowed. "Uh, should I tell Tucker to come over too?" 

He was worried, suddenly, about being alone in a room with her. 

Even though his parents were _ always home _. Literally worked from there. They weren't exactly attentive chaperones.

Not that, uh, chaperones would be needed. Sam had a thing with Phantom.

And he-

"Yeah, I'll text Tucker," Sam said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I smell hormones in the air 😏


	3. Chapter 3

He was swimming with the stars.

That's how Phantom liked to view it, anyway. Though he knew he'd have to at least clear the Earth's atmosphere in order to _ really _fly beside stars.

And he wondered, how close could he get to the sun? Would he melt at some point? 

Though it was made of ectoplasm, malleable and gooey, Phantom _ did _have a body.

Could he die a second time? 

He wasn't even sure if the first time counted, since his body just sort of walked off without him and all.

What Phantom hated the most about this whole situation was being alone at night. Especially since he had nothing to tell time with. No watch, no giant clock tower. Somebody ought to write a letter of complaint to Amity's mayor and demand a big clock tower.

He wanted it to look like the one in _ Back to the Future. _

So anyway, when the sun went down Phantom just… waited for it to come back up. That's all he _ could _ do.

He was alone all night, usually.

This time he'd tried to stick with Johnny (it's just nice having someone to talk to okay?) But then Johnny ditched him for a date with Kitty.

That was hours ago.

Now he was flying over a store, watching men in uniforms unload a bunch of boxes.

If he went in there after the employees had gone would be find the box ghost making a mess? 

Phantom was debating whether or not the box ghost counted as company (he only ever repeated, like, three sentences) when his Fenton Phones beeped.

He'd been patched in with someone.

"Hey!" Phantom said. "What's up?"

He heard Tucker sigh, "Dude. Ugh." 

Phantom flew past the store and landed on the roof of the public library. Feet firmly on the ground, he began to pace.

"Wanna talk about it?" Phantom swung his arms back and forth as he paced. He could pretend he was a regular person on the phone with a regular friend, this way.

Er, with a regular bluetooth headset type thing.

"I feel like something's going on between Sam and Danny," Tucker said. "But they don't tell me _ shit." _

Phantom stopped pacing. "Are they still mad about the kiss?" 

Very dramatically (probably over exaggerating his surprise, in Tucker fashion) Tucker gasped. 

"I _ knew _it," he said. "Fuck, I always knew it was inevitable. Now I'm screwed." 

"What?" Phantom said. 

"You _ know _," Tucker said. "The third wheel. The cock block. The-"

"Wait, wait, wait," Phantom said. "Fenton and Sam? No, they didn't kiss." 

There was a pause. Then, "Wait, why would they be mad?" 

Phantom didn't know where to start. With the amulet that turned them both into fire breathing dragons? With Ember and her weird love song?

Tucker filled the silence with his own theories. "Does it involve Paulina?" 

Oh, right. Phantom had almost forgotten about that. Fenton had been pissed about that kiss too. Did he tell Sam about it? 

"U. well, Paulina kind of has a crush on me," Phantom said. "I went to her place once-"

Another gasp. "Why doesn't anyone tell me anything?!" 

"I don't know, Tuck," Phantom said. "Why did my parents build an elaborate forc field that locks me out of my house?" 

"Oh, the bittersweet irony," Tucker said. "You can fly right into Paulina's house without needing to sneak past her hulk of a father, but you can't walk through your own front door. Sad, lustful times, that." 

Phantom wished there was something on this rooftop he could kick. "Whatever." 

He let himself sink through the floor and landed on the fourth floor of the library. 

He half heartedly kicked into one of the shelves. 

"But they were acting so awkward," Tucker said. "I was like 'why did you guys even invite me over?' They were avoiding eye contact and-"

"What? Are you saying they're dating now?" The kick had just sort of pushed the books deeper into the shelf.

Feeling stupid, Phantom grabbed the books and pulled them back forward.

"Maybe they are!" Tucker said. "Maybe they're secretly dating and just trying to decide when to tell me. Maybe they were just about to, but then there was also this thing with Dash and Sam hit her head-"

"Dash hurt _ Sam?! _" Phantom stood so fast he went halfway through the ceiling. He took a deep breath and brought himself back down. 

Boots firmly on the ground.

_ Stop being a moonwalker _, Johnny had said. 

But Phantom was still kind of untethered. 

"He pushed her," Tucker said. "Cause she was trying to get Danny out of the locker he'd been shoved in." 

"Godammit!" Phantom said. "Fucking Dash, what the hell is his problem?! It's been years since…" 

"Phantom?" Tucker said. "Did the Fenton Phones run out of batteries or something?" 

They hadn't. Phantom had forgotten what he was going to say.

Because he was surrounded by a room full of floating books. 

"Phantom?" 

He just stared at them. Took another deep breath.

They all fell at once, but they'd been at different heights so they didn't reach the ground at the same time.

It was a weird series of _ thump thump thump _ as they were reunited with gravity, all landing at different spots. Falling from different heights.

"Are you okay?" Tucker said. "Listen, I should probably go to bed. It's just that I wanted someone to vent to. My _ other _best friends are… well, I don't know what they are." 

Phantom frowned. Sam liked _ him _ first, hadn't she? But that was because she thought of him as the real Danny Fenton. 

Maybe she'd realized he was just… a weirdo ghost clone. 

"Phantom?"

"Sorry, Tuck," Phantom said. "I wasn't much help." 

"That's okay dude," Tucker said. "I just wish you could have been there too. But we were at Danny's house. So." 

"I get it." Phantom was picking up all the books now, trying to figure out where they belonged.

"Let's have a game night this weekend," Tucker said. "Just you and me at my place. See how _ they _like it." 

Phantom chuckled. "Are you asking me out on a date?" 

Tucker laughed too. "A bro-date, yeah." 

"I would be honored." 

With that decided, they hung up.

And Phantom was left with a library in chaos. _Well_, he thought, _at least I have something to do until the sun comes up. _


	4. Chapter 4

When Danny got to school the next morning, everyone was drinking soda before first period.

"Dash broke into the vending machine," Mikey told him excitedly. "He's giving free soda out to everyone. Even I got one!" 

Mikey was an overly freckled redhead who, uh, was in band or something. His locker was right next to Danny's, but they'd never really talked much.

That Danny could remember.

"Oh," Danny said. "Uh, cool." 

"He said he digs my hair!" Mikey continued. "And I don't think he was being sarcastic. Do you think he was being sarcastic?" 

Danny could only blink at the kid stupidly.

Then Tucker came to the rescue, walking up to them and ruffling Mikey's hair. "Who cares what Dash thinks?" He said. "Statistically, you've got the rarest natural hair color on the planet. You won the lottery." 

Mikey beamed at him. "Thanks Tucker. Want my soda? I didn't open it." 

Tucker rolled his eyes. "It could be poisoned, dude." 

"Dash said-" 

"Who cares what Dash said?" His items retrieved, Danny slammed his locker door shut. "He's an ass." 

"He wants to turn over a new leaf," Mikey said. But he eyed his free soda uncertainly. "Even gave this whole speech to the football team-"

Tucker guffed. "Did you film it?"

"N-no, but-" 

Tucker put a hand on Mikey's shoulder, slowly shaking his head. 

Mikey sighed. "Next time I'll record it." 

He walked off and Danny wondered if Tucker and that dude were friends or not. It was hard to tell with Tucker sometimes. 

"Uh, do I know Mikey well?" Danny said, scratching his cheek. 

Tucker blinked at him. Then his eyes widened. "Oh. You didn't..." 

There was an awkward pause. Danny pretended to look for something in his backpack. 

"I know him better than you," Tucker finally said. "Film club and other overlaps like that. You just knew- know him through me." 

He didn't know Tucker was in the film club. Casper High had a film club?

"You've got English with him," Tucker added. 

"I know _ that _," Danny said, pulling out a pen, he finally closed the backpack. 

It was one of those clicker pens, with a button where an eraser would be for a pencil. He clicked it a few times and had to mentally kick himself into stopping once they'd reached the classroom.

Tucker followed him in.

He suddenly wished that they didn't have any classes in common. 

Especially since- 

"Hey-o, daddy-o!" 

Fucking Dash.

"Daddy what?" Tucker said. 

He was about to sit down next to Danny, as usual, but Dash held an arm out to block him. "Nah, I've got dibs!"

_ Dibs? What a childish thing to say _, Danny thought. 

Tucker could only stand and stare as Dash sat down.

Technically there wasn't assigned seating. Only Lancer gave a shit about stuff like that.

So when the teacher came in and Tucker was still standing he had no choice but to sit down in front of Dash. 

For a moment, a very brief, very tiny, very friggin' _ microscopic _ moment, Danny felt relieved. 

Because this meant Tucker couldn't look at him or talk to him all period. He'd have to turn himself all the way around and get in trouble. 

But now he had Dash glancing at him all period. In a weird way.

The idiot even tossed a note over.

**Buy you a slurg?**

Danny stared at the note. Then at Dash.

Dash grinned at him. 

Danny crumpled up the note and tossed it in his backpack.

Dash put his hands together as if in prayer. 

Begging?

He tossed a second note. 

**To apologize? For bullying.**

This time Danny ripped up the note. Slowly. Deliberately. Looking Dash in the eye the whole time as his hopeful smile fell.

When they got out of class Tucker wouldn't shut up about it.

"Daddy-o? Daddy-o?!"

Luckily they didn't share second period.

"What the heck is a slurg?" Danny said. 

"What?! A slug?" 

"No, a, uh. Just- look." Danny showed him the wrinkled note. 

"Google is our friend," Tucker said, solemnly. It took him two seconds to solve the mystery. "It's slang for milkshake, apparently." 

"What?" Danny tried to look over Tucker's shoulder, but his friend angled the phone away. "Hey hey, no peeking. You know that gives me the creeps." 

Danny made a note of that.

Because he didn't. He didn't know. 

Phantom did. 

"Sorry. Um, see you at lunch," Danny said. It was time for them to split up. 

"Mhm." Tucker was typing away at his phone as he walked. Students had to dodge out of his way. 

Right before lunch Danny had a class with Sam. 

And everything was normal between them, probably. 

But then again, he wasn't sure what normal was supposed to look like. Normal, before Phantom had revealed... well, that he knew Sam past and present, before then there had been tension between them.

Between Danny and Sam.

And he'd thought it was just about the amnesia, but now he knew it had been something more like grief. For Phantom.

For what Danny had stolen from him. 

And now they'd made up? 

It was stupid too because they'd bonded over a mutual anger at Phantom. 

But then things got awkward. The cuddling-

Danny didn't want to dwell on it. 

Was it just awkward for him? Did she even notice? 

**Stop spacing out** , she wrote at the top of her notebook in red ink. **I won't let you copy my notes.**

**Liar,** he wrote in giant letters across his blank page. 

She snorted. 

_ It's just awkward for me _, Danny decided. 

"It's time for a field test!" Tucker announced. 

Sam glanced around in mock shock. "Are you sure? I thought it was time for lunch." 

"I'm serious guys," Tucker said. "I've got a theory, but before I can tell you I need to test it. So that your opinions on the results won't be biased." 

"Uh huh," she said. "So who is the lucky subject this time?" 

Danny listened to this exchange in frustration. What was with today? It was full of references and and...

Reminders of what he was missing. 

"Dash Baxter," Tucker said, standing dramatically.

Sam hummed thoughtfully. Then, slowly, her thoughtful frown turned into a shit eating grin.

_ Well _ , Danny thought, _ If it means messing with Dash... _

"Proceed," Sam said, clearly on the same page.

Dash wasn't in the cafeteria though. All three of them scanned the crowd. 

"Weird," Tucker said. "None of the A-listers are in here..." 

"Well then," Sam said. "Let's go find them." 

She looked at Danny.

He realized he had been silent for longer than was socially acceptable. "Uh, ditto." 

Tucker glanced at his uneaten food, looking torn. He was still standing.

Because Danny hadn't been talking he'd gotten halfway through his. But Sam had barely nibbled into her salad.

"Or," Danny said. "We could do the field test after school?" 

Tucker snapped his fingers. "Even better!" He sat down and took a huge bite of his burger.

He mumbled something. 

"Uh, come again?" Danny said.

At the same time Sam said, "Shut up and swallow." 

Their words kind of overlapped, but Tucker got the message and nodded. Taking three more big bites, he swallowed and then pointed at Danny. "You're gonna let him buy you a slurg." 

Now it was Sam's turn to miss a reference. 

"A what?!" 

Danny grinned. "A milkshake." 

"Why the heck-" 

"All will be revealed, my friends." Tucker paused to gulp down some soda. 

"All will be revealed," he repeated as dramatically as a man can while clutching a half eaten cheeseburger an inch from his nose. 

"Choke and die," Sam said.

"There he is!" Tucker said. "Go get 'im!" 

"You make me sound like an attack dog," Danny said.

All three of them were in the parking lot. And actually seeking Dash out.

It felt surreal. 

"Don't attack," Tucker said. "Fetch." 

Danny laughed.

"What are you waiting for?" Sam said. "Go get 'im, boy!" 

"You guys are assholes," he said. 

But he was still laughing. 

Before he could do anything Dash spotted them and jogged over.

"Dashing over," Danny murmured.

That cracked them up.

"You're right dude!" Tucker said. "He really is!"

Sam was laughing so hard she almost fell over and had to grab Danny's arm for balance.

Or did she pretend to almost fall over? She wasn't a clumsy girl. 

Wasn't she laughing too hard? It wasn't that funny. 

Danny didn't have time to dwell on her. 

Dash was in front of them and he wasn't even out of breath, the pompous-

"Hey-o!" Dash said.

That word alone made Tucker laugh harder. 

Dash ignored him. He was looking directly at Danny. "Listen, I know we've had beef-"

"It's okay," Danny said. "Glad you dashed over." 

That got one more snort out of Sam but Tucker groaned. "Don't run it into the ground, man." 

Dash was oblivious. "Listen," he said again. "I found out- I mean, I." 

Dash paused. 

Danny blinked at him.

The guy licked his lips. He seemed...

Nervous?

"Listen," he said again.

"Uh, I'm listening," Danny said.

His friends were openly laughing behind him. 

_ Well, this is a role reversal _, Danny thought. 

Dash was scrambling for a reply, sweating under their laughter.

There was something odd about his eyes, Danny noticed. They looked gray. Hadn't they been blue?

The sun felt too bright above them. 

Dash tried to laugh along, "Just doing a bit, guys. It's a big tickle, right?" 

In his peripheral vision Danny noticed Tucker had his phone up. Was he filming this?

The laughter had died at the phrase _ big tickle _. 

"Li-look," Dash said. "I've got bread. C-can I take you out?"

His smile was strained. Desperate.

"Take us out?" Danny said.

"No! Just you and me," Dash said. "I don't mean _ walking- _ I mean..." 

_ He's drowning _, Danny thought. 

"B- because you have a car?" Danny said. 

At this point he just wanted to try and dig Dash out of the hole the guy had dug himself into. 

He normally wouldn't want to help him with anything. Ever. But Dash was acting so oddly today. Almost like... he was out of place.

Dash was missing something vital. 

Danny could empathize with that.

But now Dash was turning beat red in a way Danny had never seen before.

"Y-you want to take a ride?" Dash said. "Cause, I've never. I've never, with anyone, but with a boy-"

"You don't know how to drive anymore?" Sam said dryly. 

"I can drive!" Dash squeaked. 

There was a pause. Danny could feel both Sam and Tucker squinting at Dash as if he'd lost his head.

Or like... he'd lost his personality.

And they weren't the only ones. There were loads of kids eavesdropping, glancing at Dash incredulously as they walked by.

The A listers were only a few feet away, leaning against Dash's car.

Not even pretending to ignore the exchange. 

"You need a chaperone," Tucker said. 

Sam raised her eyebrows at him and Danny felt the same. It was the randomest thing he could have said. 

Dash gaped at him. "Y-you think so?" 

Tucker nodded. Then he glanced down at his phone. "Hey _ Dash _." 

Dash blinked. "Me," he said. 

"Yes, _ you _." Tucker was typing something into his phone, but he looked up to waggle his eyebrows at Dash. "You think Danny's a flutter bum?" 

Dash grinned. "Danny," he said. 

He looked at Danny. "They kept using your last name," he said. 

Then he looked back at Tucker and his eyes widened. "A flutter bum? Well, of course but-" 

"No worries, pal," Tucker said. "We're all cool with... with... I mean, it's alright for you to be a flit." 

Dash paled. 

"It's different times, now." Tucker was looking at Dash differently than before. There was no more mocking laughter. 

He seemed sincere. 

But Danny had no idea what they were talking about. 

"I never thought I was," Dash said, uncertainly. 

"You always were," Tucker said. "In fact, everyone in school already knows." 

"They do?!" 

Danny looked at Sam for a hint, but she looked just as lost. 

"You told them yourself, _ Dash _." Tucker kept putting an exaggerated emphasis on Dash's name.

"I did?" 

"You were proud to announce it," Tucker said. "Seventh grade, I think." 

"Oh," Sam said. "You mean when he came out of the closet?" 

It took Danny a second to process that. 

Closet. Closet. Coming out.

The words echoed in his head. 

Dash? 

This whole time.

"...so I'll chaperone," Tucker was saying. He kept glancing between his phone and Dash.

He waggled his finger at the taller boy. "No back seat bingo on my watch!"

Dash stiffened. "I-I wasn't going to-"

He glanced at Danny. "B-but if you wanted to-"

"No, no, no," Tucker said. "You can't ask him yet, that's too fast." 

Dash looked apologetic. "I didn't think you were fast, Danny." 

Tucker looked as confused as Danny felt for a second.

But then he was typing into his phone again and he snorted. "Heck no, my best friend? He's _ not _ fast. How dare you." 

"I'm very sorry," Dash said. "But when he said he wanted to drive-"

"That's not what he said and not what he meant," Tucker said. 

"Okay, I'm bored with this," Sam said. "Can we end the field test?" 

"Yes ma'am!" Tucker said. "Listen, Dash, we're gonna have to take a rain check." 

Dash sighed. "I get it. I'll make like a leaf." 

"Hey, buddy." Tucker's tone was consoling. "Pal, no harm done. You can take him out later. For real." 

"Do I get a say in this?" Danny said. 

He was tired of listening to them talk about him like he wasn't _ right here. _

It was nauseating. How familiar it felt. How easily Tucker, everyone, would just...

Treat him like a ghost. 

_ You deserve it, _ a part of him thought. _ You got the better deal anyway. _

Tucker opened his mouth but Dash beat him to the punch. "Of course!" He said. "Danny, I want you to know that I respect you." 

That was so unexpected Danny wanted to pinch himself. 

"Thanks..." Danny said. 

He couldn't stay mad at this guy. There was no sarcasm or malice in his tone, in his face. He was... 

Dash had used Danny's first name. 

Like he'd never heard it before... was that actually the case? He'd just learned Danny's first name?

The A listers always addressed people they looked down on by last name. It was possible. And Dash had never bothered to have an actual conversation with Danny or Tucker or the likes of Mikey before this weird... change of heart. 

_ I'm turning over a new leaf _, Dash had said. 

"You can run along now," Tucker said with a grin. "Your friends are waiting for you." 

"Friends," Dash repeated, beaming. "Yeah, they are!"

He glanced over his shoulder as if to make sure. "They _ are _ waiting."

It reminded Danny of the way Mikey had reacted to Tucker's compliment this morning. And how pleased he'd been to announce that Dash was being nice to him.

"I'll dash back!" Dash said. He smile was all teeth. 

"Smooth!" Tucker raised his hand. 

Dash gasped and enthusiastically gave him a high five. 

Then he really did run back to his car, while the A listers stared at him slack jawed. 

"Okay," Sam said. "What the hell did you do to Dash?" 

"I didn't do anything," Tucker said. "The dude has been _ possessed _." 

Danny didn't even hear him. He exploded.

"Did Dash ask me on a date?!" 

He just realized what getting a milkshake with a gay kid would mean. 

Sam looked at Danny. She looked at Tucker. 

Tucker was about to reply but she held a finger against his lips. "Okay stop," she said. "Pause." 

There was a moment of silence. 

Then she glared at Tucker. "Did Dash ask him on a date?" 

"Guys, that's not what's important here!" Tucker said. "That wasn't Dash!" 

"Then who was it?" Sam said. "He didn't act like..." 

She glanced at Danny so quickly he almost didn't catch it. 

"He didn't act like a blank slate," she said. 

"I said he's been possessed." Tucker threw his hands up. "Hello? _ Possessed _ . By, you know, a _ ghost _."

"What."

"Jeez, you guys are slow," Tucker said. "Look, can we re-locate? My backpack is heavy and I'm tired of standing in the parking lot." 

"I can agree to that," Danny mumbled. 

"Ugh, fine. My house then?" 

They both looked at her in surprise. 

Sam rolled her eyes. "You both always want to go to my house."

"Duh," Tucker said. "But this is the first time you _ offered _." 

"I can take my offer back-" 

"To Sam's house!" Tucker said.

"Hurrah," Danny muttered. 

He glanced at Dash's car. It was starting and stopping awkwardly and almost crashed into the flagpole. 

Dash was sitting stiffly behind the wheel and Kwan was saying something to him, shaking his head.

Dash's eyes were wide. 

Like he's never driven a car before. 

Danny nudged Tucker. "Hey, look." 

They watched Dash and Kwan both get out of the car, switching seats. 

Kwan drove them smoothly out of the parking lot. 

"Dash is possessed," Danny said. "I-is he gay or is the ghost gay?" 

"They're both gay, dude," Tucker said. "Keep up." 

Danny would never be able to keep up. 

Maybe he should just accept that.


	5. Chapter 5

Phantom wasn’t actively looking for Johnny. He _ wasn’t _. 

He was just flying around aimlessly, as he often did. All his friends were at school, afterall, and even when they weren’t in school that didn’t mean he’d get to hang out with them.

And it wasn’t his fault ghosts stuck out like sore thumbs. He noticed their glow, even if he was so high up that the people of Amity Park looked like ants. Phantom knew when he was looking at a ghost. 

Johnny was on a date with Kitty, it seemed. So Phantom stayed invisible.

That’s just common courtesy isn’t it? He didn’t want to interrupt. 

Shadow punched him in the gut for his troubles. 

“Jeez, kid,” Johnny sighed. “The hell are you doing sneaking up on us like that?” 

Shadow was holding him up by the front of his jumpsuit. Phantom allowed himself to dangle there and didn’t even flinch when Shadow snickered and reared his inky fist back for another smack.

“That’s enough Shadow,” Johnny said. “You can put him down.” 

Reluctantly, Shadow did so. Kitty cooed over him. “Aw, no fight in you today? What’s wrong, sweetie?” 

Phantom frowned at her. “Nothing’s _ wrong. _” 

“Don’t be like that, baby,” Kitty said. “You’re saggy as a wilting flower. Like a love sick puppy. Girls giving you trouble?” 

He glared at her. 

“Don’t flirt with the kid,” Johnny growled. 

Kitty pouted at him. “I wasn’t flirting!”

Then her eyes brightened, glowing ominously, “And so what if I was? You flirt with human bitches all the time, but I can’t play around with the baby ghost?” 

Phantom blinked at that. Baby ghost? Is that how the others saw him? 

Johnny groaned. “For the last time-”

“Nuh uh,” Kitty said. “Stop right there, I’m not listening to-”

“Babe-”

“_Johnny _-”

“Guys!” Phantom said. “Look, I just wanted to uh…” 

They looked at him expectantly. 

“Can you guys have sex?” he blurted out. 

He immediately regretted it when Johnny groaned and Kitty clapped her hands together in delight. “Do you mean with each other or with humans?” Kitty said. “Little ghost! You _ are _love sick!”

“Well, I was just wondering if, uh, if it _ works _,” Phantom stammered. “Um, down there. F-for…” 

Kitty smirked, looking between the two of them. “If what works?”

"I'm just _ wondering-" _

Johnny gave him a withering look. "You can't ask that in front of my girl." 

"So he can ask you later?" Kitty giggled. "Is this what you guys talk about when I'm not around?" 

"_Oh yeah _" Johnny said. "Don't you think he'd know by now that his dick works-"

"Okay, I'm sorry!" Phantom said. "Shouldn't have asked, shouldn't have interrupted your date-"

Kitty suddenly grabbed Phantom in a hug, pulling him into the sky with her and twirling around. "Sweetie, you should ask more often! This is great!" 

Johnny floated after them with a scowling Shadow behind him. 

"In fact, _ Johnny _ was just saying that our relationship is too boring," Kitty said. "He wants to spice things up. Invite more people in." 

Johnny groaned. "I meant _ girls _" 

"How is that fair, huh?" Kitty said. "You get all the human girls you want and what do I get?" 

"You seriously want this _ kid _?" Johnny pointed at Phantom and Kitty held him tighter.

Phantom tried wriggling out of her hold.

"He's adorable," Kitty said. "Lemme keep him. C'mon. It's fair." 

Her arms were iron around him. When Phantom tried going intangible her glow brightened. 

Huh, he couldn't just phase through like usual. 

What a distressing development. 

Their bickering faded into the background as his vision focused in on her arms around him, on the way her aura had trapped his, like she'd dampened his powers with hers. 

Like he'd been engulfed.

She'd eat him, drain him… keep him? 

No, no, no. 

Phantom didn't want to be _ kept. _

Before he could work himself up into a panic, Tucker's voice was in his ear. "... not wearing the Fenton Phones today? Hello?" 

"Tucker," Phantom said. "Wh-what's up?" 

Kitty and Johnny stopped arguing to blink at him. 

"We're on our way to Sam's house," Tucker said. "Need your help with something. You, uh, got time?" 

"Yeah dude!" Phantom said. "I'll be right there." 

Johnny raised an eyebrow and Phantom tapped at his ears, indicating the little green buds. 

"This has been fun guys," Phantom said. "But I gotta go. My friends need my help." 

Kitty gave him a squeeze that would have knocked the air out of his lungs if he were human. 

"But I wanted to have some fun," she murmured, lips right up against his ear. She nuzzled her cheek against his hair. 

"R-raincheck?" he said. He gave Johnny a look. Something that he hoped would easily be understood as: _ save me! _

"C'mon babe let the kid go," Johnny said. "He's got things to do." 

She abruptly released him.

"Fine," Kitty said. "Whatever." 

Then she disappeared. 

Johnny chuckled. "Don't take her too seriously," he said. "She's just playing around." 

Phantom didn't respond. He knew Kitty was likely still floating _ right here. _And he didn't want to say something that would piss her off.

She was scary enough when he was supposedly on her good side. 

Johnny ruffled his hair. "Didn't realize I had to give you the birds and the bees along with everything else." 

Phantom directed his gaze downward, trying to re-orient himself. They'd floated far from the starting point. 

"Hey kid, c'mon," Johnny said. "Why the silent treatment?" 

Phantom shrugged. 

Johnny rolled his eyes. "Alright, fly away now baby ghost." 

"I'm not a baby," Phantom said. 

"To us you are," Johnny said.

Before Phantom could retort Johnny gave him a smirk and a wink.

Then he disappeared too. 

They were all in Sam's room when he got there. Arguing about Dash.

"What did he do this time?" Phantom said. 

They all kind of jolted, like the little flinch from an audience at a horror movie's jump scare.

"Sorry, shouldn't just pop in like that," Phantom said. "Uh, maybe next time I'll knock on the door? Float politely outside?" 

"You do that," Sam said. "Or knock and then walk in through the door. Gives us a heads up without making me _ get _up." 

"Deal," Phantom said. 

And he assumed his usual Zen pose in mid-air, purely out of habit. "So what did Dash do?" 

"He's possessed," Fenton said. "By this like… nerd ghost?" 

"Definitely a nerd," Tucker said. "From the 50s, from the way he talks." 

"Whoa," Phantom said. "Karmic justice." 

Fenton laughed. "See? We should just leave Dash to rot, he agrees with me." 

"That wasn't him agreeing," Sam said. 

"Leave Dash to rot?" Phantom said. "Yeah, I agree. Let's play some video games." 

"Okay seriously," Tucker said. "Ignoring the victim in question what if this is just the start? Part one of body snatchers invading the town?" 

"Most ghosts hate possessing people," Phantom said. "With good reason, feels icky." 

"Really?" Fenton said. "Who have you possessed besides dad?" 

Phantom fiddled with his fingers, glancing around the room as their eyes widened. "Uh, not really anyone else…" 

"He's definitely lying," Sam said. "Wait, when did you posses Mr. Fenton?" 

"That was a very short possession!" Phantom said. "It freaked Fenton out, he made me get out-" 

"Who else did you possess?" Tucker said. 

Phantom sighed. "Random people. Like at the mall and stuff. When I first discovered I could do it. And I was bored. I never stayed long. Like I said: feels icky." 

"Wow," Sam said. "Any other experiments we should know about?" 

Ghosts can't blush, Phantom thought. Ghosts can't blush.

"Um, no," he said. 

Sam looked at him and snorted. "You should see your own face," she said. "You're guilty of something." 

_ Is _ it his fault if a female ghost grabs him and won't let go? 

"I'm not guilty of anything," Phantom said. But he glanced at Fenton and thought, well…

The thing with Paulina _ had _been his fault. And not paying enough attention to the dragon amulet. And- 

"Anyway, do you know how to exorcise a ghost?" Tucker said. 

"Oh, that's easy," Phantom said. "I can just grab the ghost and pull it out." 

"You've done that?" Fenton said. "When are you doing all this stuff?" 

Phantom rolled his eyes and let himself float upside down. "I have a lot of free time, Fenton." 

_ Especially now that you don't want to hang out with me anymore _, Phantom thought. 

Tucker clapped his hands together, "Then let's just grab the ghost now! I bet we'll find Dash at the Nasty Burger." 

"What makes you say that?" Fenton said. 

"They've got the best milkshakes," Tucker said. "Duh." 

Milkshakes?

Tucker pointed at Phantom. "Follow us invisibly and then just pull the ghost out." 

He pointed at Fenton. "You still have that ghost vacuum cup thing?" 

"You mean the Fenton Thermos?" 

"Yeah, that. Bring it so we can trap the ghost." 

"We don't have to trap it," Phantom said. "Unless it's hostile." 

"Wow, I have to agree with Phantom," Sam said. "Let's be humane." 

Tucker groaned. "Whatever let's just-" He blinked. Gagged. "Save. Dash. Ugh." 

Fenton made a face. "I still say we don't have to." 

"We can't condone body snatching!" Tucker said. "There's a line, Danny. That line shan't be crossed. Have you _ not _been paying attention at the movies?" 

Fenton threw his hands in the air. "I need to re- watch the stupid movies, Tuck! I don't remember them!" 

There was an awkward pause. 

"Danny-" Sam started. 

"Don't," Fenton said. "Look, I'm sorry-"

"Nah man, _ I'm _sorry," Tucker said. "I keep forgetting-" 

Phantom glanced at his hands to make sure they were still visible. 

"Let's just go, okay?" Fenton said. "Phantom?" 

He was still visible. "Yeah?" 

"Can I go with you? Invisibly and everything?" 

Another awkward pause. 

Fenton was looking directly at him. Phantom's eyes widened as he processed the request. 

He was taking too long to answer. Fenton was frowning. He opened his mouth, maybe to take it back.

"Y-yeah!" Phantom said. "We'll just follow them. Yeah, you can come with me. Yeah." 

_ I'll have to carry him _ , Phantom thought. _ But Fenton knows that. We've done this before… _

"So we'll meet you guys there," Fenton said. "Alright?" 

"Alright," Tucker said. "And the thermos?" 

Fenton pulled it out of his backpack. "I always have it with me these days." 

Tucker nodded. 

Then Phantom put a tentative hand on Fenton's shoulder. He made them both invisible. 

Fenton shivered. 

"S-see you in a bit," Fenton said. 

Then Phantom was pulling them both through the ceiling, holding Fenton firmly against his chest and grinning into his hair. 

It had been too long. 

They were sort of floating against the ceiling while they waited for Sam and Tucker to show up. 

Danny frowned at the way Phantom was cuddling him, but there was very little he could do and nothing he could say. 

He didn't want to be overheard or anything.

Tucker had been right about Dash. Or, about the ghost in his body. He _ was _at the Nasty Burger. 

And he was buying milkshakes for everybody. 

"That's a much better name for it," Dash was saying. "And they taste better too. Maybe there's more milk in the shake now!" 

"Uh huh," Star said. "When was the last time you had one?" 

"I couldn't tell ya." 

Wait a minute. Why were they waiting on Tucker and Sam? Why not just grab the ghost right now? 

Or was Tucker going to try and get Dash out of people's view? Ask him to step outside? 

They should have gone over the plan in more detail. 

Phantom gave him a particularly tight squeeze and Danny huffed. "Knock it off!" he whispered. 

He glared at the heads under them, daring someone to hear him. 

No one reacted. 

"Sorry," Phantom whispered. "I missed you." 

"Sure you did." 

"Fenton-" 

Dash glanced up, a puzzled frown on his face. 

"Shh!" 

Dash's eyes were glowing. He was looking right at them. 

"Can he see us?" Danny whispered. 

Dash stood and looked pointedly from them to the door. 

"Sorry, friends," Dash said. "Gotta split." 

They all said their goodbyes and Dash grinned at them. "Catch ya on the flip side!" he said. 

Then he looked right at Danny. And made a motion with his hands. Like "Follow me." 

"B-but I can't see other ghosts when _ they're _ invisible," Phantom whispered. 

"Have you ever tried?" 

"Well, no but-" 

They followed Dash outside and hovered over him as he strolled behind a dumpster. 

"Alright-y," Dash said. "Unhand that boy, you filthy poltergeist!" 

Danny could feel his skin warm up as Phantom dropped their invisibility. He pulled a hand in front of his face to double check though. 

Yep, wiggling fingers all accounted for. 

"Who are you calling a poltergeist, puppet master?" Phantom retorted. "You get out of _ that _human and I'll let this one go, sound fair?" 

"Hey!" Danny said. "Get closer to the ground if you're gonna drop me!" 

"This human was a bully," Not-Dash said. "He's getting his just desserts." 

"I cannot argue that," Phantom sighed.

"But that one is an innocent nerd," the ghost continued. "You should let him go." 

"Hey! Who said I was a nerd?" Danny said. 

"The entire football team?" Phantom said. 

"Ugh," Danny said. "Just put me down and grab the ghost." 

"Yessir, Fenton sir," Phantom said. "I live to please." 

Danny stood with his hand ready on the Fenton Thermos lid, just in case Dash's ghost came flying at him. 

Phantom flew at Dash and there was a flash of light before he bounced back and hit the ground.

Danny squinted at them. Was the ghost still inside Dash?

"You're holding pretty tight," Phantom said. "How are you doing that?"

"It's easy to hold onto a body when the human isn't here," the ghost said, grinning wide with Dash's perfect teeth. 

"Wh-what do you mean he isn't there?" Danny said. 

Dash sighed. "I didn't want you to know," he said. "I thought I could pass for human." 

"Well, he knows," Phantom said. "Where's the human?" 

"Why should I tell _ you _, you rotten bully?" The ghost glared at Phantom and put his fists up. "I'll fight you, this human has guns for miles. I'm not afraid!" 

Phantom blinked. He shared a look with Danny. "He really _ is _ a nerd." 

"Um, Phantom wasn't bullying me," Danny said. "Uh, so I don't need to be rescued…" 

Not-Dash flinched. "Phantom?" He said. "As in _ The _Phantom? The dragon tamer?" 

He scrutinized Phantom. "Black and white jumpsuit, white hair… but I thought you'd be bigger…" 

"Bigger?" Phantom said. "What are you talking about?" 

"You're the Phantom," the ghost said. "Word spreads in the ghost zone. Of the baby ghost, not even a year dead, who protects Amity from dragons and wayward ghosts who might harm the citizens!" 

Danny laughed. "Wow, you make him sound like a superhero." 

"He _ is _a hero," the ghost said. 

Then he was kneeling reverently. 

"I have immense respect for you Mr. Phantom," he said. "I'm sorry for stepping through your territory." 

Phantom scratched his head. "Um, thanks. What's your name?" 

"Sidney Pointdexter, at your service," the ghost said. "I've been haunting Casper High for years and years."

"Nice to finally know your name," Danny said. 

Sidney grinned at him. "Shucks," he said. "I've never met a human so friendly to ghosts." 

Phantom put an arm around Danny's shoulder. "Oh, he's the friendliest." 

Danny shrugged him off. "Could you not?" 

Phantom clasped his hands behind his back and rocked on his heels, directing his attention back towards Sidney/Dash. "So where's the human bully? If he's not in the body where is he?" 

"He's in the mirror, sir," Sidney said, standing back up. "Living through the worst years of my life." 

Danny whistled. "Literal karmic justice." 

"Would you mind, uh, letting him out of the mirror?" Phantom said. 

Sidney tilted his head. "I don't think that's possible." 

"Why not?" 

"I just don't know how to do it?" Sidney looked apologetic. "It's never occured to me, you see. Why would I let a bully go?" 

"Right, right," Phantom said. 

His head tilted. He nodded. "Already found Dash. We're outside. Behind the dumpster." 

He was talking into the Fenton Phones. 

Danny had left his pair at home. He hadn't been wearing them lately. 

"Two of my friends are going to join us, that okay Sidney?" Phantom said. 

"Sounds swell," Sidney said. "More the merrier!" 

And he grinned when he saw Tucker. "Of course the Phantom would know the best people," Sidney said. "It's great to see you again!" 

Tucker was puzzled. "Great to see you too, Dash…" 

"He knows we know," Danny said. "His name is Sidney." 

"So plan A was a bust then?" Sam said. 

"Yep." 

"Dash is trapped in a mirror," Phantom said. "Sidney is very sorry for doing it, but Dash deserved it. That right?" 

"Oh yes sir!" Sidney said. "You should have seen what that scoundrel was up to!" 

Danny cringed, remembering the way his arms and legs had started to grow numb in the cramped locker. 

"What kind of mirror are we talking about?" Tucker said. "A cursed mirror? Is it full length or, like, compact? Wait, not the bathroom mirrors?! Bloody Mary style?!"

Sidney laughed. "I'll show you," he said. "It's in my old locker." 

And just like that Dash's body was glowing. He floated. "Who am I carrying?" He said. 

"You can still use your powers?!" Phantom said. "I couldn't use them at all when I was possessing people." 

"Everything takes practice," Sidney said. "You really haven't been dead a full year yet?" 

Phantom scratched his head. "Almost a year…" 

"More on that later," Tucker said. "I've always wanted to fly!" 

"C'mon pal," Sidney said. "I got you!" 

Tucker allowed Dash to pick him up. It was the weirdest thing Danny had ever seen. Dash and Tucker, smiling at each other…

Just creepy. 

"I'll get there the human way, thank you very much," Sam said. "Meet you all there." 

Danny watched her walk away and wondered: Should he go with her?

But Phantom had his arms around him in a flash. "Race you there!" he said. 

"Off the line!" Sidney said. 

And then they were in the air, wind rushing by so fast Danny could hear it whistling. 

And he wondered if Phantom could hear how fast his heart was beating. 

It really was amazing, being able to fly. Even if he _ was _ just baggage being carried along for the ride. Danny loved it. 

But he wouldn't tell Phantom that. Or that he'd missed him too. 

What would be the point? 

"I like your personality too," Phantom whispered.

"What?"

"Your personality," Phantom repeated. "Not just the… you being me, thing. Cause you aren't me. You're your own person. A new person." 

Danny closed his eyes. The wind was too cold, he decided. His eyes were stinging. 

"You're just saying what you think I want to hear," Danny said. 

"No I mean it!" Phantom said. "I'm sorry if you misunderstood me, that time-" 

"I didn't misunderstand," Danny said. 

He opened his eyes. 

They were hovering outside Casper High. "Did they already go inside?" 

"Looks like I lost the race," Phantom said. 

"Get in there," Danny said. 

"I just wanted to say-"

"We can talk about this later." 

"Fenton-"

"_Later_," he repeated. 

Phantom sighed. "Later. Fine." 

And they flew inside. 

Cause they had to save Dash. Ugh. 


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warning for homophobic and racist language and cartoonishly evil bullying.

"Behold!" Sidney Pointdexter said, pointing dramatically at a busted old locker. "Locker 724!" 

With a flourish he keyed in the combination and threw the door open, revealing an oval mirror attached at the back. 

It was weird seeing Dash's body act so… eager to please. To see his face, and his stupid square jaw, looking at him expactantly. Respectfully.

Actually it wasn't that unfamiliar, but Phantom had only glimpsed Dash's hero worship from far away. Up till now he'd avoided the teen like the plague. 

_ But this isn't Dash anyway _ , Phantom reminded himself. _ Sidney Pointdexter. Pointdexter. Pointdexter. _

"How does it work?" Tucker said. His hand hovered over the mirror, but he hesitated to touch it. "It's a portal?" 

"Yes," Pointdexter said. "But it's safe to touch, my negro friend! It only activates when I tell it to." 

"Oh wow," Fenton said. "We gotta catch you up on, uh, modern politics." 

Tucker laughed. "Hope you didn't call Kwan… uh… Danny what did they call Asians?" 

Accidentally, Phantom answered at the same time as Fenton. In the exact same tone, they both said: "Y-yellow?" 

Phantom snapped his jaw shut so hard he imagined they could all hear the firm _ click _of his teeth. 

He stared at his boots and noted they were on the ground. He wasn't even glowing. 

He wasn't glowing?

There was a moment of silence. 

Pointdexter chuckled. "Jinks!" He said. "You both owe me a sodapop." 

"Th-that's not how…" Fenton cleared his throat. "Sidney, could you help us get in there?" 

"Oh no," Pointdexter said. "I wouldn't want to send humans in there who didn't deserve it. They'd be trapped." 

"But you come and go whenever you want," Tucker said. "Is it safe for ghosts?" 

"Well sure." Dash directed a winning smile at Phantom, all glittering teeth. 

Not Dash. Pointdexter. "Especially a powerful ghost like the Phantom? Sure, he'd be king of the place." 

"If I can't get Dash out," Phantom said. "Sh-should I…" 

He looked at Fenton. 

Fenton, who was taller than him now, but still shorter than Tucker. Fenton blinked at him with those familiar blue eyes. 

Phantom didn't think of them as his own eyes anymore. Especially since he'd never been fond of his own reflection in the first place. He'd thought of himself as un-photogenic.

Not ugly, but boring. Unimpressive. 

Fenton didn't seem unimpressive anymore. 

"What do you want me to _ do?_" Phantom said. 

Phantom wondered if it was Fenton's growth spurt that made him seem… better than he was when Phantom was him. Or something else entirely?

Because Fenton was something else now. Someone else.

And Phantom didn't want to let him down again. 

"If you can't get him out…" Fenton regarded him with furrowed brows. It was a look Phantom had seen on Jazz many times. 

As if she were trying to read his mind. 

"Then you come back," Fenton said. "And we'll regroup. Come up with a plan. Or something." 

"Okay," Phantom said. "Sounds good." 

He glanced at Tucker and Pointdexter. Then he slammed his palm on the surface of the mirror. 

Nothing happened.

Dash laughed at him. 

_ Pointdexter _ laughed. "There's more to it than that!" 

"_What _more? What do I do?" 

"You've never gone through a portal before?" 

Phantom winced. "A portal went through _ me _ once." 

Fenton winced too, a beat after. 

"Just make yourself fuzzy," Pointdexter said. "Like strolling through a wall. Don't need no doorway." 

"Oh," Phantom said. Allowing his hand to go intangible, he poked it through the mirror.

It wasn't like sticking his hand through a wall.

A wall wouldn't _ pull _at him.

It felt like…

Getting sucked into the Fenton thermos. 

Phantom's eyes widened. "W-wait," he wanted to say. "Is there a mirror on the other side?" 

But there was no room to speak. 

The last thing he heard was Dash Baxter's condescending voice. "Oh, baby ghost…" 

Then everything was green for a second. 

Just for a second. 

Blindingly green.

Then it was dark. And cramped. 

Except for three slivers of light. Like…

Like sitting in a locker. 

"Shit!" 

Phantom elbowed the door. 

"H-hey! Let me out!" 

He could hear people laughing. 

"Hey!" He repeated. "C'mon guys!" 

Wait a minute. He was a ghost. 

He wasn't trapped. 

Phantom took a deep breath (not that he needed it!) and decided to become intangible. To fly out of the locker. 

But nothing happened. 

"Thinks he's special!" He heard someone say.

"Baby ghost." A girl. She almost sounded like Kitty. 

"I'm not a baby!" Phantom shouted. "Let me out!" 

They continued to laugh. He tried to squint through the locker slits, but someone moved in front of the light. 

He tried to summon ecto-plasm into his clenched fists. Tried to punch the door open. 

The teenagers in the hallway continued to laugh. It was cartoonish, the way they kept going. And it seemed like the crowd was growing. Voices mixing into each other. 

"Just a sad echo," someone whispered. "A clone. A shadow." 

His voice was deep. Like an adult. An old man. 

"A parasite," Vlad Masters said.

"Fuck off!" Phantom said. "It's a trick. This was a trap." 

"Duh," Dash said. "You're a real idiot, Fenturd." 

The locker door opened so abruptly Phantom fell out. 

Dash caught him. 

"Phantom!" Dash crouched in front of him, hands on his shoulders, and urgently whispered. "Are you here to rescue me?"

"Wh-what?" 

Dash didn't look right. His hair was gray. His whole face was washed out. 

Black and white. 

"They're fags!" Someone shouted. 

Dash's eyes widened. 

"Eeeew," the crowd chorused. "Get a room!" 

Phantom glanced around, straightening and throwing Dash's hands off him. 

Everyone looked the same. Washed out. Black and white. 

"L-like Pleasantville," Phantom said, stepping towards the crowd.

He glanced around for a crack in the circle, legs tensing to make a run for it.

A guy in a black leather jacket pushed Phantom back towards Dash. "Nice outfit," he said. "Auditioning for ballet? Huh, fag?" 

"Wh-what?" Phantom found himself sandwiched between the dude and Dash.

He glanced back and noted that Dash was being hemmed in on all sides. They were both being kept against the lockers. 

"It's so _ form _ fitting," a girl said. She had a high ponytail and a large hoop skirt. "Your boyfriend _ loves _ it, huh?"

"He's a superhero!" Dash shouted. "If you saw the shit he could do-"

Leather jacket smirked. His hair was as inky black as his jacket and full of so much hair gel it was practically dripping.

"Let's see what he can do then," he said. "Show us a trick, baby hero." 

Phantom gulped. 

This was not going according to plan. 

But nothing ever did.


	7. Chapter 7

Sam was pissed. "You let him go in there alone?!" 

"He's a ghost," Tucker said. "He can jump back out whenever he wants!" 

Sam glared at Sidney. "That so?"

"Yes ma'am!" Sidney said. He straightened out Dash's Letterman jacket and ran his fingers through his blond locks, admiring Dash's reflection in the mirror. "The Phantom is safe. But the bully will be outnumbered."

"So it'll take a while for him to find Dash in the first place," Danny said. 

Sidney snapped Dash's fingers. Danny couldn't help but think of Phantom's quip earlier. _ Puppet Master. _

"Exacto-mundo," Sidney said. 

"The heck are we supposed to do in the meantime, huh?" Sam said. 

"I owe a special somebody a slurg." Sidney winked at Danny. 

"Miiilk. Shaaake," Tucker said. 

Sidney laughed. Dash had a surprisingly high pitched laugh. Kind of scratchy. "Yes! And we can get fries. You want fries, Danny?"

It was still weird hearing his first name come out of Dash's mouth. It took a second of them both staring at each other before Danny remembered he'd been asked a question.

He gulped. "Uh… fries as friends?"

Sidney blinked. He looked at Tucker.

Tucker stage whispered. "Sloooow." 

Sidney nodded solemnly. "Friendship fries."

Sam stuck her hands in the locker and unhooked the mirror from its hook on the wall.

"Wh-what-" Sidney started.

"I'm not leaving it here," she said.

Then she put it in her spider backpack, careful to wrap it in a black sweater.

Sidney bought two milkshakes, forcing Tucker to share with Sam and Danny to share with Sidney.

Tucker smirked at Danny from across the table. 

Danny kicked him, but Tucker just briefly winced and then started giggling. 

Sam aggressively chewed on fries. There was a large basket of them at the center of the table.

She used one to point at Sidney. 

"Where do you go when Phantom gets back with Dash?" Sam said.

Sidney shrugged, not-so-casually throwing an arm over the booth behind Danny.

"I'll float around," Sidney said. "In my natural form, I suppose?" 

Sam tightened her hold on the purple spider backpack, which she'd kept on her lap. 

"You won't get sucked back into the mirror?" 

Tucker and Danny both straightened, eyes widening, and Danny reached for his utility belt.

Sidney, by contrast, just laughed.

And laughed. 

It wasn't a sinister laugh. More like a fit of uncontrollable giggles. 

As if someone were tickling him. 

He laughed so hard milkshake spurted out his nose and Danny automatically scrambled to give the guy a napkin. 

"The mirror traps _ bullies _ ," Sidney finally gasped. " _ I'm _safe and sound. And with my friends!"

Abandoning his earlier nonchalance, Sidney dropped a heavy arm around Danny's shoulders to emphasize the word 'friends.'

It didn't occur to Danny to shrug him off. Instead he marveled at how warm Dash's arm was. How tall the guy was. 

It felt very different from the hugs he got from Phantom. 

Different, too, from the way Dash liked to shove him up against walls and locker doors. 

Sam groaned. "Whatever. If Phantom isn't flying out of this haunted mirror by _ tomorrow _ I'm holding _ you _responsible, Dexter-dork." 

Sidney pouted. "Pointdexter."

"Whatever." Sam grabbed Tucker by the elbow and pulled him out of the booth with her. "Enjoy your date, Danny." 

"H-hey!" Danny said. "I don't… I didn't… fuck you, Sam!" 

"Fuck you too," she said, rolling her eyes. 

Tucker chuckled nervously as she dragged him away. "S-see you guys later, haha…" 

Sidney seemed pleased by this development. He cranked up Dash's 20 watt smile and said, "Want to see what's playing at the drive in?" 

Danny scooted out from under his arm and out of the booth. "You mean… the movie theater." 

Sidney followed him out of the Nasty Burger. "Sure, sure!" He said. "I'm buying!" 

They saw a science fiction movie. Danny picked it because it seemed like the safest non-date movie available. 

Plus it was badass and they both loved it. 

Sidney was so engrossed in the story he even forgot about putting moves on Danny.

Which was a _ good _thing, Danny reminded himself. 

Yet he was oddly disappointed? 

But how ridiculous would it be to date a ghost? Especially since Danny didn't even know what Sidney _ looked _like. 

"Hey Sidney," Danny said as they were walking out of the theater. 

"Yeah?" Sidney grabbed Danny's hand. 

Dash's hand was large and warm. But what was Sidney's like?

"Are you stuck in Dash's body or can you come out?" 

Sidney blinked. "Come out?" 

"Just so I can see you," Danny said. "You know, the real you." 

Sidney frowned. "I'm not uh… I can't right now." 

"How come?" 

"Can't leave a body unattended." 

"You can't?" 

Sidney sighed. "Hold on." He tugged on Danny's hand. 

Danny allowed the other boy to lead him to a bench. 

They sat down. "For a ghost," Sidney said. "Bodies are rare. Like… like planes." 

"Okay…" 

"If one is left empty someone else will want to take it," Sidney said. "I don't want… to lose my spot. Until I have to." 

"When Phantom brings Dash back." 

"Right," Sidney said. "Yeah." 

Sidney squeezed Danny's hand. "Besides," he continued. "I'm not… handsome." 

Danny laughed. "Says who?" 

"Everyone who has ever met me," Sidney said. 

Danny frowned. 

He thought for a second. "You were born in the 50s right?" 

"Technically I was born in the late 30s," Sidney said. "1938." 

"Wow. Okay well. Um." Danny surprised himself by placing his free hand over Sidney's, effectively cradling the bigger hand. "So it's like… well my friend Sam says standards of, uh, beauty kind of change? Over time?" 

"Standards of beauty?" Sidney echoed. 

"Yeah so like stuff that was maybe ugly in the past… like…" Danny scrambled to remember the examples Sam had given. "Oh like being hairless!" 

Sidney smiled. "Being hairless is lame!" He announced. 

Danny grinned. "It _ was. _But now it's considered prettier." 

"Really?" 

"Really." 

Sidney used his free hand to pull Dash's shirt away from his body and peek down at his own chest. 

At _ Dash's _chest. 

"Huh," he said. "Smooth as a baby's bottom." 

Danny laughed, releasing the hand he was holding and scooting slightly away.

Sidney scooted with him, pressing their legs together. "Do you like hairless?"

"Um, yeah," Danny said. 

"Do you like height?" 

Danny gulped. "W-well, I don't care about height. Short guys are handsome too." 

"Do you like men?" Sidney said. 

Danny stared at his knees. "Probably," he said.

"Do you like women?" Sidney said. "Cause I thought I liked women. I think I still do." 

"Me too," Danny said. "There's a word for that." 

"There is?" 

"Yeah. Bisexual." 

"Bisexual," Sidney repeated. "I like it. Okie dokie! I'm bisexual." 

"Me too," Danny said. 

Sidney grinned. "Well, don't we make a great pair then!" 

"But…" Danny thought about what Sam had said at the Nasty Burger. "Will you leave when Dash gets back?" 

Sidney huffed irritably. "The Phantom will make me return this body to its bully." 

"I know," Danny said. "But you can still stick around right? As a ghost?" 

Sidney glanced up at the sky. He said, "I'm actually not sure." 

"Why aren't you sure?" 

"I've never done this before." 

"What? But you made it seem like-" 

Sidney shrugged. 

Danny sighed. "Okay. We'll just have to wait and see." 

Sidney leaned forward and before Danny knew it he was being wrapped in a hug. 

"Let's not bash ears," Sidney said. "I've never felt this way before. Can I just… can we walk out? Just for a little while? I don't know how long this will last."

Danny tried to relax into the hug. Tentatively, he raised his arms to squeeze the bigger boy back.

"Does that mean boyfriend and boyfriend?" 

"Yeah! Wowie. Yeah." 

"Okay," Danny said. 

Sidney leaned back from the hug to study Danny's face. "Really?" 

"Yeah really." 

"Hot dog!" He leapt up. "Let's see another film then! One with necking in it!" 

Danny stood up too and Sidney grabbed his hand again. 

"Okay," Danny said. 

"Whoo!" 

So they saw a romantic comedy. 

And Danny tried not to picture Tucker laughing at him. 


	8. Chapter 8

The school was identical to the Casper High Phantom had gotten to know from afar. Though he _ had _briefly attended as an actual student, most of his memories were of wondering the halls, invisible and envious, and watching everyone go about their lives without him. 

Now he was _ very _visible. 

"Mr. Phantom," a teacher said. "How have you fallen so far behind?" 

The students giggled. 

"W-well I, uh-" Phantom stood in front of the chalkboard, confused and helpless. 

"He's in the wrong place!" A cheerleader said. "This kid is still in middle school." 

"I graduated middle school!" Phantom said. 

"Sure you did, short stack." The guy with Elvis Presley hair had his feet up on Dash's desk. 

Dash was covering his face with his hands. 

_ Thanks a lot, Dash _, Phantom thought. 

"Sit down," the teacher said. "You clearly have some catching up to do." 

"Or _ you _have some teaching to do," Phantom said. 

The students laughed. Dash peeked out from between his fingers. 

The teacher sighed. "Take a seat, Phantom." 

There was no way off campus. Outside the windows there was just… a gray void. Open the front doors and… well, more void. 

Phantom stood at the ledge and wondered what would happen if he jumped. 

Dash pulled him away from the door and slammed it shut. "Are you crazy?!" 

"I want to get out of here!" 

"And you think I don't?" 

A chorus of voices sang "K I S S I N G" behind them every time Dash and Phantom spoke to each other.

When Phantom had punched one of the singers, the first time, they all dog piled on top of him. 

It had lasted for _ hours _ and he would have suffocated if he were alive. 

Now he just glared at them. 

Dash acted as if he couldn't even hear it. 

"Look what if your powers-" Dash started.

"They're still gone!" Phantom punched a locker. "I'm a shitty fucking hero, okay? Look either jumping is a way out or it isn't. _ You _don't lose anything if I go-" 

"I'll lose _ you! _" Dash said.

"Oooh," a cheerleader said. The crowd around them was growing. "Trouble in paradise?" 

Dash facepalmed. 

"Guess your twink doesn't want you," the greaser said. "You're so handsome too! What could be missing?" 

"I'm not gay!" Phantom said. Then he glanced at Dash. "There's obviously nothing wrong with being gay, but-" 

Dash still had a hand over his face. Specifically he was shielding his eyes. He added another hand over his mouth. 

It was a new habit he'd developed, Phantom guessed. 

"And so many women throw themselves at you," the cheerleader said. "Mister Town Hero. Oh Righteous Phantom. Dragon Slayer and Rock Band Destroyer!" 

She draped herself over him as she spoke, with an arm over his shoulder and a hand cupping his face. 

The girl was tall and the way she cradled him reminded Phantom of Kitty. He glared at her. 

"Did you tell your boyfriend about those girls?" Greaser said. "The way you flew away like a startled bird?" 

Dash tried walking away, but Greaser had him in a headlock. 

"Shut up," Phantom mumbled. 

He knew it was pointless. It was like this place could read their minds. 

The greaser pulled Dash's hands away from his face. Dash kept his eyes tightly shut. 

"You know that idiot covered his room in drawings of you?" The cheerleader said. "He paid the art club kids-" 

"Shut up!" Dash said. 

"So sad when your love won't notice you," the greaser chuckled. "But now he's right here, buddy! Look at him seeing you!" 

Dash elbowed the dude in the gut. 

The guy didn't react. 

The cheerleader giggled. "I love a dysfunctional couple." 

"I love a bad movie as much as the next guy," Phantom said. "But you guys seriously need a new script." 

The little snort of laughter Dash let out at that was satisfying, at least. 

The girl stomped on Phantom's foot. 

But he didn't feel a thing. Pain is in your head, he knew. Pain doesn't exist when you're dead. 

"You never know when to shut up, Fentard," she said. 

Dash frowned. 

The bell rang. 

"Time for lunch!" The cheerleader trilled. "Come along boys." 

The cafeteria was the worst place in the school, Phantom decided. 

The students were caught in an eternal food fight; throwing milk cartons, tomatoes, sloppy joes and dripping fish sandwiches in every direction.

It was disgusting. 

"Goddammit!" Dash tried shielding his face with a lunch tray, but he couldn't protect his hair. He tried brushing it with a spork. "It's melting my hair gel!" 

The meat was scalding hot and stung on impact. 

"That's not a hairbrush, little mermaid," Phantom quipped. 

"God! Would you please take this seriously?!" Dash said. "Why are you like this?!" 

"Why are you so concerned about your hair?" 

Phantom could feel something dripping onto his nose. He pushed his own white bangs out of his face impatiently. 

"You're just like him!" Dash stared at him with wide eyes. "Why are you just like him?" 

Phantom opened his mouth and accidentally caught a pickle. 

He gagged. 

"Fuck!" Dash grabbed him from behind and punched him in the stomach. 

It _ hurt _. Dammit. "Get off me!" Phantom said. 

He had swallowed the pickle whole and his throat ached with it.

_ It doesn't hurt, it doesn't hurt, it doesn't hurt. _

If Phantom repeated it enough times he could walk off anything. 

Dash let him go.

A lunch tray hit him in the back of the head. 

It didn't hurt! 

Dash pulled him under a table.

"Phantom!" Dash said. "I think I'm going crazy, seriously." 

"That's what this place is designed for," Phantom said. 

"You aren't the way I thought you would be." Dash cut a sad figure, hunching his huge frame under a cafeteria table with tomato sauce dripping off his hair.

His face crumpled and Phantom realized the guy was crying. 

"Never meet your heroes," Phantom muttered. 

"There it is again!" Dash said. "You're just as bad as them!" 

"I resent that," Phantom said. "Also _ you're _one to talk!" 

"I know! I know! Shit." Dash took his jacket off and smothered his face in it. 

"... feel stupid," Dash mumbled. 

Phantom snatched the jacket away from him.

"Say that again," Phantom said. 

"I don't like feeling stupid!" Dash said. 

"Then don't _ be _stupid?" 

"Fuck off!" Dash stood so abruptly he knocked their table over. 

He marched through the flying food and got absolutely covered in mayo and mystery meat, but the guy just ignored it and kept going. 

Then he was out of the cafeteria. 

"That simple, huh?" Phantom said. 

_ Guess I should follow Dash's example, _Phantom thought. 

Then: _ Ew. I hate this place. _


	9. Chapter 9

Danny avoided the bus to school in the morning. Instead he asked Jazz to drive him.

She spent the car ride talking about their sibling bond and how she had been worried about the way he'd been "emotionally distant" since the accident.

He managed to apologize without rolling his eyes. 

They beat the bus to school and he quickly grabbed what he needed from his locker and high tailed it to first period. 

Danny got there before Tucker and Da- Sidney.

He chose a seat in the back corner and propped up his textbook, effectively hiding until class started.

When he put it down Tucker spotted him and they made eye contact. Tucker raised an eyebrow and Danny shrugged. 

Dash- _ Sidney _ stood up just as the teacher was about to speak.

"There you are!" Sidney said, walking to the back of the classroom. 

He smiled at the girl who was sitting next to Danny. 

"Can you trade with me?" Sidney said. 

The girl stood with a huff and stomped over to the seat Sidney had vacated, avoiding eye contact and glaring at her shoes.

"Wait-" Danny said.

Sidney sat. "I've always been lacking apple butter, but I'd try and write a ballad for _ you _if you asked me too." 

Danny opened his mouth. Then he closed it. 

The teacher cleared her throat. "If you're quite finished Mr. Baxter." 

"Sorry ma'am!" Sidney said. "I think your class is… uh… stimulating!"

"Then let me get on with it, would you?" 

"Yes'm!" 

When class ended Sidney grabbed Danny's backpack and his books. 

"A boyfriend should carry these right?" He said with a grin. 

"Uh, but we're both…" Danny started. Then he sighed. "Well, whatever." 

He glanced at Tucker, who looked gobsmacked. "Boyfriend?!" 

"Uh-"

"Yessir!" Sidney through an arm around Danny's shoulders. "We're boyfriends now!" 

Everyone in the classroom was staring at them now. Students who were halfway out the door came back in to listen. 

"Congratulations?" Tucker said. 

He looked at Sidney. He looked at Danny.

Danny wished he could see his own face, in that moment. Whatever Tucker saw was apparently hilarious. 

Tucker laughed so hard, he started crying. He doubled over and slapped a desk. 

"C-congratulations bro!" Tucker said. "You've seduced _ Dash Baxter _." 

"Shut up!" Danny shrugged off Dash's arm- and it _ was _still Dash's arm- and rushed out of the classroom.

Sidney and Tucker followed. 

"You done goofed," Tucker said, still chuckling.

"I did?" Sidney said. "Wait, Danny-"

"I'll see you later!" Danny said. 

He rushed to his next class.

Sidney followed with his backpack and books. "Wait! Your stuff!" 

And Tucker laughed all the harder.

Tucker cornered him in the library during lunch period. 

"H-how did you know-"

"Where else would you hide?" Tucker said. "The roof?" 

Danny pouted. "They locked the door to the stairwell…" 

Tucker nodded and sat down beside him. 

They were sitting in the biography section of the library. Everyone's least favorite, Danny had figured. 

"So either you're an evil genius," Tucker said. "Or you royally fucked up." 

"An evil genius?" 

"Yeah," Tucker said. "What better way to humiliate Dash than to publically date him while he's gone? Then you could publically dump him when he gets back and anything he might try to say would just be seen as him trying to save face." 

"Uh…" 

"_Or _…?" 

Danny drew his knees up against his chest. "I royally fucked up," he said. 

"Thought so." Tucker ruffled his hair. "Oh what are we gonna do with you?" 

"Tuck?" 

"Yeah?" 

"I'm bisexual." 

Tucker removed his hand from Danny's head. 

Danny stared at his knees. 

"Is that a new thing? Or just something that never came up?" Tucker said. 

Danny looked up. 

Tucker looked at him. Not with confusion or annoyance. Just… 

He waggled his brows. "You make out with anyone without telling me?" 

"Huh?" 

"You look at _ porn _without sharing?" 

"Sh-sharing?!"

"I've never looked at gay porn." Tucker solemnly took off his red beret and clutched it to his chest. "But for my _ best friend _I'd sit through at least twenty minutes of research-"

_ "Tucker!" _Danny snatched the beret from him and shoved it towards his mouth.

His friend started to laugh, but covered his own mouth with a hand and swallowed it down.

Danny kept the beret in his hand and realized this was the first time he'd seen Tucker without it. 

Tucker had a little afro going on, scraggly and solid at the same time. 

"Sorry, sorry," Tucker said. "Okay serious time. I'm glad you told me." 

"Er, thanks," Danny said. 

"No for real. Sorry for teasing you." 

Danny didn't know what to say to that. So he put the beret over his own head, pulling it down so that it covered his eyes. 

"That's a _ great _look," Tucker said. 

"Shut up." 

There was a moment of blessed silence. Or sort of silence. All Danny could hear was turning pages and shuffling feet. 

"So… you _ like _Dash?" 

Danny shoved the beret up, freeing his eyes to glare at Tucker. 

"I mean his face!" Tucker corrected. 

"_Fine_, I like his stupid face. It's a handsome face," Danny said. 

Tucker grinned. "What about _ my _-" 

Danny threw the beret at him. 

"Not your type. Got it." Tucker re-adjusted the hat so that it was neatly on his head again.

"What about Sa-" 

"Can we _ not _ do this?" 

Tucker held up his hands in surrender, still grinning like this was the best joke he'd ever heard. 

"Actually I want to ask _ you _something," Danny said. 

"Go for it." 

"Before the accident..." Danny glanced around them, suddenly paranoid about an invisible eavesdropper.

But Phantom was in the mirror. Probably. 

He tried again. "Did Phantom. I mean, did I…" 

Tucker leaned forward. "The suspense is killing me…" 

"Ugh, I just want to know if he kissed anyone," Danny said. "Er, if I did…" 

"While he was you?" Tucker said. "Nah, he pinned after Paulina for years and hardly said two words to her. He's a never been kissed virgin. I mean, he _was. _And so are you? Unless-"

"So am I," Danny quickly said. 

So Phantom's first kiss had happened… while he was Phantom.

That was a relief, for some reason. 

"He kissed Sam," Danny blurted. 

Tucker's eyes widened. "Phantom did?!" 

"Yeah." 

"When?!" 

"I'm not sure," Danny said. "But Sam told me they did." 

"I knew it!" Tucker said. "You guys _ were _ fighting over her." 

"Uh-"

"So this is your rebound?"

Danny stood. "It's not too late to eat, is it?" 

"Aw c'mon," Tucker remained sitting, reaching up to tug at his arm. "Why are you guys always leaving me out of the drama?" 

"Because it's just a joke to you!" 

Tucker let go of his arm. 

"Nevermind," Danny said. "I- I'm glad I told you. But-" 

"I get it," Tucker said. "It's whatever." 

"I'm sorry-" 

"No, you're right," Tucker said. "I'm just in the audience." 

He grinned all the wider, looking up at Danny from the floor. "I'm just a side character, laughing it up." 

"Tucker-" 

"Have fun with Sidney," Tucker said. "Good luck explaining it to Sam. And everyone else." 

And he pulled out his phone, hunching over the screen in a way that closed the door on the conversation. 


	10. Chapter 10

The hallways were empty. The cafeteria doors slammed shut behind Phantom, suddenly sealing off the noise of shouting students and splattering lunch trays. 

The silence was eerie. The gray hallways echoed Phantom's footsteps as he walked. A lightbulb flickered out overhead. 

It was his first time alone since he'd entered the mirror. 

"Dash?" 

A bathroom door slammed open to his left and Phantom flinched. 

Dash leaned back against the door, smirking. 

"Feel better after taking a dump?" Phantom said. 

Dash scowled. "I wasn't- we can't even do that here!" 

"If there's a will," Phantom said. 

"Shut up." Dash pointed an accusing finger at him. "I've figured it out!

Phantom frowned at him. 

Dash huffed impatiently. "Ask me what I figured out, man."

Phantom rubbed at his eyes. "That's okay," he said. "I think I'd rather get pelted with peas than-" 

"You look like _ Fenton _," Dash said. "You're practically his twin. I'd never gotten a close look at you before, but now it's obvious." 

Phantom swallowed. 

"It all makes sense now," Dash continued. "Your shitty personality, the jumpsuit- just like his parents!" 

"Yeah, but-" 

Squaring his shoulders, Dash proudly announced. "You're his dead grandpa!" 

Phantom blinked. "Wha?" 

"Don't even try to deny it!" Dash jabbed him in the chest. "You're a Fenton! Admit it." 

Phantom took a deep breath. "Dash." 

The idiot had a smug look on his face, arms crossed in front of him. 

"Let's think about this for a second," Phantom said. "How old do I look to you?" 

Dash frowned. "Uh… twelve?" 

"Ouch. Okay close…" Phantom put his hands together. "So if I died at… twelve… how could I be anyone's grandpa?" 

Dash opened his mouth. 

He closed it. 

Phantom giggled. 

Dash glared at him. "Then you're his grandpa's brother!" 

"You mean… his grand uncle?" 

Dash snapped his fingers. _ "Yes _," he exclaimed. "And it explains why Fenton supposedly has this- this connection with you." 

"Uh huh," Phantom said. "That make you feel better?" 

"Huh?" 

"Let's say you're right," Phantom said. 

"So you admit it!" 

"Sure." Phantom glanced around the deserted hallway and shivered. He had a feeling the quiet wouldn't last long. "Sure, what does it change?" 

Dash sputtered. "It changes everything! Y-you… you're just, what, you got killed by your freaky family? Some weirdo science experiment gone wrong?" 

Phantom flinched. 

"And," Dash's leaned down, eyes wide. "And you help them fight ghosts? And _ Fenton _-" 

"What _ about _Fenton?" Phantom growled. 

"I'm just saying-" 

"You don't get to say _ anything _ about him," Phantom said. "You torment him for years-" 

Dash snorted. "You think _ I _ torment _ him_?" 

Phantom pushed Dash against the lockers hard enough to indent them. The metal groaned under them, the sound echoing around the room. 

"Yes!" Phantom said. "You torment him!" 

He was holding Dash up by his shirt in a way that was familiar.

"But the tables have turned," Phantom whispered. 

There were eyes in the locker slits. They glowed green, the only color in this world. They giggled as Dash squirmed. 

"He deserves it," Dash said. "He belongs here. Punish him." 

"Wh-what?" 

"That's what he gets for being a smart alec." Dash put a hand over his mouth, eyes wide, but the words continued. "He made me look stupid in front of everyone." 

"Dash-" 

"It's not my fault!" Dash screamed. 

The bell rang and suddenly the hallway was flooded with students. 

"Looks like we've got a tussle!" The Greaser kid floated up through the floor to stand directly beside them. 

Phantom glared at him and slowly set Dash back down on his feet. 

The kid lifted the collar on his leather jacket and shivered. "Whoo! You're gonna freeze me over with that death glare, kid." 

"What are you _ doing _?" The cheerleader came running from down the hall. "Stop it! Stop it!" 

She froze, eyes wide, and stared at her hands. "You're terrible, Fenton. Just awful." 

"Wh-what?" Phantom said. 

_ Awful, awful, awful _. 

The bustle of walking students slowed to a halt. Everyone stared at him. 

Phantom glanced back at Dash.

The guy met his gaze with wide eyes.

"S-so you lashed out because I… because Fenton would joke around. Tease you," Phantom murmured. "Okay fine. I get it. I think." 

Dash kept his mouth shut. 

"I'm not going to hit you!" Phantom said. "I just lost my cool for a second." 

Still, Dash said nothing. And the crowd watching them collectively held its breath. 

"I'm _ not _like you," Phantom said. "I won't let my anger get the best of me. You don't deserve it. No one does." 

_ It's too cold_, someone whispered. 

Phantom looked over the crowd of students again. They were still as statues. 

The Greaser still had his hands on his collar, nervous grin frozen in place. 

Frozen! 

Phantom poked him in the nose.

The ghost was freezing.

The frost was hard to spot, everything was dimly lit and black and white, but when he looked closely…

He'd frozen _ everything. _

"Wow, okay," Phantom said. "The ice powers are the hardest to control. I'd rather have, you know, flying." 

He glanced at the ceiling. "Hey Universe! Can I make a trade?" 

Silence. 

Then: 

_ Too cold _

_ The Phantom child _

_ Torture _

_ Our punishment _

_ Cold, cold, cold _

_ Kick him out _

_ Deserves it _

_ It's cold! _

_ Just like the rest _

_ Trapped _

_ We'll crack _

_ Crack _

_ Shatter _

Phantom put his hands over his ears, but it did no good. The voices got louder. 

_ Baby ghost _

_ We'll shatter! _

_ Forgive us _

_ Too cold _

_ The Phantom _

_ Thaw _

_ Mirror _

_ The locker _

_ Get out! _

There were cracks in their faces. The students began to vibrate in place, like badly made toys, and a green light shone through the cracks. 

The cheerleader shattered with a piercing scream. 

"Shit! I didn't mean to-" 

_ GET OUT _

Phantom looked at the lockers, trying to remember which one Pointdexter had put the mirror in. 

They all slammed open on their own and the mirror glowed like a beacon. 

But Dash was still frozen.

Phantom picked him up and a dull _ crack _ sound had him glancing down. Dash's feet had been frozen to the ground.

They were still stuck to the ground.

"J-just his shoes," Phantom said. 

But his legs ended in jagged stumps. 

"It's not real!" Phantom said. "It's… it's not your real body. You're fine." 

Dash didn't respond, still frozen with his eyes wide. 

"It's fine, we're fine, everything's fine," Phantom chanted. He put Dash in the locker with the mirror, headfirst, and sighed in relief when it disappeared into a green portal. 

_ Thaw us, Phantom_, the ghosts whispered. 

"Hopefully you'll melt when I leave," Phantom said. 

Then he jumped through the mirror too.


	11. Chapter 11

When the bell rang for lunch Danny tracked down Sidney and pulled him into a janitor's closet. 

Sidney grinned and swept Danny up in a hug.

It was so completely unexpected that Danny didn't have a proper reaction to it. 

Wait, no he did. He stiffened and closed his eyes, half expecting the air to be aggressively squeezed out of him, before recognizing the affection for what it was. 

He slowly relaxed, breathing deeply. 

"I missed you, flutter bug!" Sidney said. 

"Uh…" 

"Wowie, it's dark in here." Sidney released Danny from the hold to feel around the walls. 

Danny grabbed his hands, stopping the search. 

He figured it would be easier to have this conversation without seeing the other's expression. 

"Listen," Danny began. "Can we keep this whole dating thing under wraps?" 

"Under wraps?" Sidney echoed. 

Danny squeezed his hands. "You know… a secret?" 

Sidney pulled his hands away. "Oh fiddle. But I already told all my friends." 

Danny blinked. "Friends?" 

"You know. Kwan, his girlfriend. That other brown girl…" 

Danny facepalmed. "Th-those aren't your friends! They're Dash's friends!" 

Pacing wasn't possible in such a small space, but Danny turned around in a huff anyway. Only to trip over a mop.

"Dammit, when Dash gets back he'll be pissed. Maybe we can say it was a prank? Or we could-"

He sat on the ground and absently kicked the mop, trying to figure out how to salvage the situation. 

Then Danny realized he could _ see _the mop roll away from him. 

Sidney was glowing. 

"Who cares what the bully thinks?" Sidney said. 

His voice echoed. Like two people were speaking. One voice was familiar- it was Dash- and the other was higher pitched and nasally. Like the guy was congested. 

Danny stood back up, hands raised. "Sidney-" 

"If my affection for you angers him that's all the more reason to show it," Sidney said. "I can't let him go unpunished. After what he did to you?!"

The shelves behind them were rattling, mops and tools glowing ominously.

"R-right," Danny said. "Right, true. I'm sorry for offending you." 

He'd almost forgotten that he was supposed to be babysitting a powerful ghost. 

When would Phantom get back? 

"You hungry? Let's go to lunch." With his left hand carefully braced on the utility belt, Danny held out his right hand for Sidney to take. 

Abruptly, the glow shut off. Some of the tools fell to the ground behind them, and the mop hit Danny in the back of his head.

It didn't hurt much, so Danny ignored it. Focusing instead on his right hand, which was still empty. 

There was a pause and Danny squinted into the dark, wondering if Sidney had walked out through a wall or something. 

But the door to the closet opened and Sidney was grinning at him. "Let's eat with my friends!"

Instead of settling for just holding hands Sidney wrapped his left arm around Danny's waist. He grabbed Danny's _ left _hand, fitting his fingers in between all of Danny's and brushing against the belt. 

Danny gulped. "Your friends are mine…" 

The screaming had him half convinced he was still in the mirror. 

But just seeing in _ color _was all the evidence Phantom really needed. 

"I can't believe this!" Sam was pulling at her hair, staring at the bathroom mirror. 

Oh, he'd come out into the girl's bathroom?

"Sorry, I didn't mean to!" Dutifully covering his eyes, Phantom gestured towards the ceiling. "I'll fly out-" 

"Fuck you!" Sam said. "If you leave I'll kill you." 

Removing his hands tentatively, Phantom pouted. "Wow Sam, uh, don't you think-"

"I'm _ not _the goth chick, you- you, gah!" She threw her hands up. "This is all your fault! You did something to me, I was frozen-"

"_Dash?! _" 

"Yes you moron," Sam was staring at the mirror again, absolutely horrified by what she saw. 

By what _ he _ saw? 

Then she glared at the image, hands on her hips. "Thanks a lot, asshole. Next time we'll let you rot." 

Phantom blinked. 

Sam pointed an accusing finger at the mirror. "So it was you! You trapped me in there!" 

"Wait, are you both in there?" Phantom floated down so he could get a better look. 

Sam turned around and grinned at him. "I'm not just going to hand him control." 

Then she started crying. "Am I stuck like this?! Am I dead?!" 

Phantom automatically reached for her, to comfort her or something, but she smacked his hand away. "Get off me freak!" 

But then Sam rolled her eyes. "I see you guys have bonded." 

Scratching his head, Phantom squinted at her. "So it's easy to tell you guys apart, but this is disorienting." 

Sam sighed. "You think it's disorienting for _ you _?" 

She stomped her foot. "Where's _ my _body? Seriously- shut up! We're working on it." 

Grabbing her backpack, she pulled out Pointdexter's mirror. "If I'd left this where it was maybe he'd have flown into some random kid walking by." 

Phantom frowned at it. "That might have been better." 

"Anyone would have been better," Sam/Dash grumbled. "Ew, I hate the way your boobs hang-" 

"Fuck you, I've got a bra on- I can still _ feel _ them, it's gross- _ your _gross," Sam wrinkled her nose. "Just- let's find- my body!" 

"C-can one of you take a backseat or something?" Phantom said. 

"No!" 

"Well then. This'll be fun."


	12. Chapter 12

He tried to play it cool as they made their way into the cafeteria, Sidney's arm still wrapped around Danny's waist. 

Students stared at them as they approached the popular kids. Someone whistled. 

Tucker, alone at their usual spot, was expressionless. 

Danny tried to give him a meaningful look, but Tucker didn't react. 

He half expected Sidney to greet Tucker- didn't he like Tucker? - but the ghost had his eyes trained on the A- Listers. 

"Hey guys!" Paulina was all smiles. She pulled at Danny's elbow, making sure he sat next to her. "Not hungry today?" 

Stuck in between her and his ghostly boyfriend, Danny could only chuckle. "Who needs food when you've got... uh. Friendship." 

Lame. So lame. Die. Die for real and give Phantom his life back. 

Sidney ruffled his hair. "That's the ticket!" 

He kissed Danny on the cheek. "Really should eat though. I'll go get us some meat an' gravy, you just sit tight!" 

And just like that he was moving away. Getting in line. 

Danny glanced around the table. Would it be weird to leave? 

Star giggled. "So you and Dash! How did that happen?" 

"Uh, it's a long story," Danny said, glancing back at the lunch line. Then at Tucker.

Tucker was typing away on his phone, looking unbothered. Message not received.

And where was Sam? 

"We all knew it was inevitable," Paulina said. 

"We did?" Star playfully smacked her forehead. "Right! Duh, we totally did." 

Kwan was looking down at his macaroni, squishing it around with his spork. "I mean, he's always been kind of fixated..." 

Deciding it was best to play along for now, Danny tried to put together a game plan. 

Sidney could fly. He could fly and he could, well he could do ghost stuff... But he didn't take the ghost tech.

Why didn't Sidney take the ghost tech? He'd implied that he knew about it, hadn't he? 

"...we just gonna pretend Wes doesn't exist?" Kwan said.

Danny was having trouble keeping tabs on the conversation, eyes still on Sidney as he chatted with the cafeteria lady.

"They've always been rocky," Paulina said. "Just leave it alone."

She leaned into Danny's view, eye lashes fluttering. "Hey, you want my blessing for you two? You'd get instant A-Lister status." 

Nodding absently, Danny decided his best option was the thermos. He straightened to look over Paulina's head, keeping his eyes on Sidney. 

Paulina poked him. "Or we could toss Dash down the social ladder," she whispered. "Think he'd resent you for it?" 

That got a laugh out of him. "Think I'd give a shit if Dash resented me?" 

Sidney was approaching with a lunch tray in each hand. 

Danny kept his hands under the table, slowly unscrewing the thermos lid.

Paulina grabbed Danny by the chin and forcefully turned his head to face her. "Are you even into men? Or is this a sick play at revenge?" 

"Whoa there." Sidney carefully placed the lunch trays on the table. 

Paulina let go of Danny's face. 

"You writing a book, girlie?" Sidney glanced between the two of them. 

"Yeah what's with the interrogation?" Danny opened the thermos and pointed it at Sidney theatrically. "Don't you think he's smart enough to pick his own battles?" 

The thermos was cold stone silent.

Danny sighed. The ghost was protected by Dash's body. 

He'd figured as much, but it didn't hurt to check. 

Paulina tossed her hair back and guffed. "I'm just saying-" 

"What _ are _ you saying?" Sidney stared at her.

She pouted at him. "Well, weren't you curious too? Did you already ask him?" 

In his peripheral Danny noticed Sam finally make her way into the cafeteria. 

She was walking oddly. Sort of jogging, but she had her hands out for balance, like she was skidding on ice. 

He tried to stand, but Sidney put a hand on his shoulder, keeping him in place. 

"... family knows about Phantom," Paulina was saying.

Danny tuned back in. "Wait, what?" 

"C'mom we can be friends!" Star chirped. "Don't hold out on us, c'mon. We're just curious is all."

"Curious about Phantom." Right, it was always the same with them. What else had he expected? "Uh, I already told you-"

"You've been holding out on us," Paulina insisted. "Keeping him for yourself." 

Danny huffed. "He's not mine to keep!" 

Then Sam was there. 

"The hell is going on here?!" She roughly grabbed Sidney and pulled him out of his seat. 

He went down easily enough, probably because she caught him by surprise, and Star clapped her hands. "Love rival! Whoo!" 

"Sh-she's not a-" Unbidden, Danny remembered pulling Phantom away from her at Ember's concert and he blushed. "Wait, this isn't like that-"

But the way they were glaring at each other was intense. Sidney stood and calmly dusted himself off while Sam braced herself, fists raised. 

"Siding with the bully?" Sidney said. 

"_You're_ a bully!" Sam said. "And a thief." 

She glanced at Danny. "What do you think you're _ doing _with him, huh?" Her expression twisted into a sneer.

It was an expression that didn't belong on her face. "C-cuddling up with a nerd in _ my _\- just get back in there then!" 

Before Danny could process what she was talking about he felt cold arms wrapping around his torso. "Sorry I'm late," Phantom whispered.

Danny stiffened. 

He elbowed the ghost, ignoring his grunt of surprise and the way his grip tightened, and moved to stand in between Sam and Sidney. 

The eyes on him were unnerving. It felt like the entire student body was watching, holding their breaths.

Danny cleared his throat. "Why don't we all just calm down and take this outside? Sam, I can explain what-"

She glared at him. "Shut _ up_, Fenton! You can't solve everything with your smart mouth." 

He stared at her. "_Dash_?" 

Phantom's icy breath on his ear made him shiver. "Get Sidney outside," Phantom whispered. "Dash will follow." 

But Sidney had lost patience. Around them lunch trays and backpacks were floating into the air. Students screamed and Sidney chuckled. 

"Show yourself, Phantom," Sidney said. "I'm aching for a breaking." 


	13. Chapter 13

"Not another food fight!" Sam screamed, crouching down with her hands protectively curled over her head. 

She wasn't the only one screaming. Food and utensils were flying around like a tornado around Dash's body and it looked like all Phantom could do was dodge.

That's all _ any _of them could do at the moment.

"We have to _ move,_" Danny grabbed her elbow and hauled her up. "Where's Tucker?" 

"It's every loser for himself, stupid!" Sam said. 

Right. Not Sam. 

"You're a real hero, you know that Dash?" 

She, that is _ he_, tried to pull his arm out of Danny's grip. "Shut up!" He shrieked with Sam's voice, high pitched and panicked. "Just leave me alone!" 

This wasn't Sam, but it hurt seeing her look so vulnerable. 

"Stay with me," Danny said. "Let's go outside." 

Then Sam was nodding, a determined frown clearing away the panic. "Follow me!" She said. 

And he knew, at least for the moment, that he was with Sam again. He released her arm but then she grabbed his hand, and she dragged him towards a wall. "It's safer than going through," she said. "We should hug the walls and go _ around._"

But then she froze up again and flinched as an overturned table came flying towards them. 

Danny tackled her and they laid flat on the ground for a moment, safe enough as the table landed titled against the wall with a pocket of space beneath it. 

"It worked out like a shield," Danny chuckled. "Weird luck, huh?" 

She stared up at him with wide eyes and he scrambled to get off. "Uh, Dash or Sam?" 

She flinched, then scowled at him. "Ugh, it doesn't matter! Let's just _ go._" 

She grabbed his hand again, this time squeezing painfully, and they ran side by side until they made it out of the building. 

Phantom knew how to tell Sam and Dash apart now. Her body flickered with a faint glow when Dash was in control, a grey aura hanging over her body and tucking back inside as they flipped back and forth. 

It was easier to spot from far away.

It wasn't exactly the same as the green core of a ghost, but maybe it would work the same. Then he could just reach out and tug him out of her… 

But he needed Dash's body nearby. Needed them beside each other. Otherwise wouldn't Dash end up kind of like Phantom? A ghost while his body still lived? 

_ Wouldn't he deserve that though? _

"C'mon baby ghost, I thought you were a hot shot around here?" Pointdexter kept trying to taunt him into violence. "Is it even true that you fought a dragon? Those just tall tales?" 

It would feel good to kick Pointdexter _ and _Dash through a window. 

But that wouldn't exactly be the heroic thing to do. 

_So?_ _Why play hero?_

Dash's panicked gasps as Phantom choked him against the lockers replayed itself in his mind's eye. He heard those ghosts in the mirror wailing at the cold. At the pain.

It didn't feel good to be the villain. 

"What's the plan after this, Pointdexter?" Phantom said. "Your cover is blown! You can't keep pretending you're Dash Baxter." 

Most of the students below then had made it out of the cafeteria, Fenton and Sam/Dash included. 

"Then I'll be _ myself _ now!" Pointdexter shouted. "I'll make new friends, hell I can skip town and start over. I can-" 

Phantom tapped on his Fenton Phones. "Yeah? All by your lonesome?" 

There was a bit of static on the line, then Tucker's voice came through. "No one got hurt. I found Sam and Danny in the parking lot." 

The fight was slowly going out of Pointdexter. His little tornado of food junk was losing momentum, and he regarded Phantom with disappointment. "Of course not alone," he said. "But… I mean, you don't want to slug it out? At least a little?" 

"Phantom? What's the plan?" Tucker said.

Pointdexter mimed throwing a few punches in the air, like a kid pretending he was a boxer. 

"Did you want me to go with you?" Phantom said, trying to address them both. 

Pointdexter grinned. "Why? Do you like me?" 

He flexed Dash's stupid muscles and winked. 

His anger had completely evaporated, it seemed, and with it his hold on everything floating around the cafeteria. Gravity re-claimed lunch trays and pudding cups, forks and burger patties. 

Sam's voice came in on the Fenton Phones. "Danny says I should try to hug him? He thinks Dash's soul- or whatever- will be drawn to the body. Help me get close." 

"I like you a lot," Phantom said. "Why don't we get out of here, huh? Aren't you tired of messing around with humans?" 

"Where are we meeting you?" Tucker said. 

Pointdexter laughed at him. "It's too bad, but I already got myself a boyfriend!" 

"Wh-what boyfriend?"

"Danny Fenton!" Pointdexter grinned. "We been getting to know each other _ real _well while you were gone." 

And without really deciding too, Phantom shot an ecto-blast at the ghost. 

"_Finally,_" Pointdexter cheered. "Let's duel like cowboys!"

Students and teachers stood around in the parking lot, panicked and confused. 

"Should we call the cops?" Someone said. 

"Phantom is taking care of it!" Paulina retorted. 

Tucker and Sam had gotten a hold of Phantom through the Fenton Phones and Danny cursed himself for leaving his at home. 

"What's he saying now?" Danny said. "Can he talk Sidney down?" 

Sam made a face. Or maybe it was Dash. "He's trying to flirt or something." 

Then Tucker gasped. "Oh shit. Oh shit." 

They both stared at him. 

"What?" Danny said. 

"We need to get you to Fenton Works," Tucker said. "Like, yesterday." 

"Get _ me _ to Fenton Works?" 

Then all the windows at Casper High seemed to shatter at once and teachers were trying to calmly heard everyone away from the building. 

Sam grabbed his hand and they were running, Tucker hot on their heels. 

"Let's take my car!"

She led them to _ Dash's _car and removed her boot, using it to break the driver's side window. "Hey!" She shrieked. "You're paying for that when this is over!" 

Then she rolled her eyes. "Where are your keys? Spare keys, c'mon."

Danny shared a look with Tucker. 

"Real freaky," Tucker said. 

She found a spare key in the glove box and impatiently waved them into the car. 

They climbed in, Tucker in the front with Sam/Dash and Danny in the back. 

"Dude, you should duck down or something," Tucker said. "Seriously, hide." 

"Why am I hiding?" Danny said. 

"That weirdo ghost wants to kidnap you," Sam said. 

"Oh…" He carefully ducked down in the backseat.

"Stall him for now then tell him we're at Fenton Works," Tucker said. Into the Fenton Phones again, he was talking to Phantom. "I guess we can use Danny as bait?" 

Wow. Well, at least he was useful for something.

"Why the _ hell _ does he have the hots for _ Fenton _?" Sam growled. 

Then she started laughing. "_ Wow _, Dash! Oh my god!" 

"Hey, stay focused on the road," Tucker snapped. "Could one of you just stay out of the way or something?" 

"I don't know how this shit works!" 

"Maybe one of us should drive?" Danny suggested. 

"Shut up, Fenton," Sam snapped. "Everyone just shut up! _ Everyone_." 

Then she giggled a bit, but kept her mouth closed. 

The rest of the drive was spent in awkward silence. 


	14. Chapter 14

Pointdexter didn't immediately notice the damage to Dash's body.

Phantom's blast had landed square on his chest. The injury itself wasn't visible. But what _ was _visible was the blistering skin on his fingers when Pointdexter fired off ecto-blasts of his own. 

He made a show of it, playfully shooting only with his index fingers- with finger guns and gun sound effects- and didn't seem to actually _ feel _any pain. But Dash would feel it when he got his body back. 

Phantom tried to be diplomatic. 

"You do realize Fenton's parents are ghost hunters?" Phantom said. "They're both on their way here right now, in fact. Is this how you want to be introduced to the in laws?" 

Tucker was still in his ear on the Fenton Phones. "You gotta get out of there before they show!" Tucker said. "They're obsessed with catching you, man." 

Phantom tried to project self confidence and nonchalance as Pointdexter lost his steam. 

The little green forcefield around him helped. He'd finally learned how to keep the thing up. 

"Don't you ever wanna play at being the leading man in the picture?" Again Pointdexter tried to break through Phantom's shield. His hands were _ smoking. _ "I could take Danny on an adventure. Like Humphrey Bogart, running from the law. Like-" 

"Like burnt toast and zombie flesh if you keep that up!" Phantom stamped. "Look at your _ hands _, cowboy, that body can't hold up to the blasts." 

Pointdexter stared down at them in surprise. 

"Fiddlesticks!" 

He looked around the desecrated cafeteria and Phantom rolled his eyes at the glowing lunch tables, freezing them in place before they could get off the ground. 

"This isn't a movie, Pointdexter," Phantom said. "But even if it was, you wouldn't be the hero." 

"Phantom!" Sam's voice came through the Fenton Phones, but he had no way of knowing who was actually speaking. "Thought you were going to bring the ghost to Fenton Works?!" 

When Jack and Maddie Fenton charged into the room with ghost proof nets and guns blazing, Phantom instinctively disappeared. 

"Hah! We can still see you, ghost scum!" Maddie was wearing the heat vision goggles (or cold vision?) and she directed her attention at Phantom while Jack chased after Pointdexter. 

"Oh he's going to Fenton Works, all right," Phantom said. "I'm just not the one who'll be taking him." 

As soon as the car rolled to a stop Danny was out and running, he tripped at the stairs and continued up on all fours then slammed into his bedroom, searching for his Fenton Phones. 

Later, he'd curl up in embarrassment and wonder why he hadn't just taken Tucker's from him. 

But right now. 

Right now he was panicking. 

When the earphones were finally in his freaking ears he caught Phantom mid sentence. 

"... cause I don't know... how to get… get him out, Tucker!" Phantom sounded breathless. 

Can a ghost over exert himself? The idea was alarming. 

"Don't touch any of the purple stuff!" Danny blurted. "Just fly away, go somewhere else!" 

"Purple stuff?" Phantom said. Then, "Whoa! You're a cowboy alright, damn." 

Cowboy? 

"I agree with Danny," Tucker said. "Just get out of there. And let his parents capture Pointdexter, I guess. Though I think-" 

"But I have to make sure-" Phantom was abruptly cut off. 

The sudden silence over the coms was eerie. Danny sat on his bed and listened intently, half expecting to hear an explosion, or shouting, or just _ something _to indicate what had happened. 

Finally he heard Tucker clear his throat. "Maybe he… turned the com off?" 

Tucker's voice echoed from the hallway as he tentatively peeked into Danny's bedroom. 

Danny just stared at him. 

"Okay! Let's say your parents got him," Tucker said. "We'll just set him free somehow. Um, we could-"

"I have to go back," Danny said, standing up. 

"But we don't know what's going on with Pointdexter." Tucker shuffled his feet, looking extremely uncomfortable. "Look, I know you were like… flirting with him and all. Uh, but-"

"Tucker, my parents want to _ dissect _Phantom." He stormed out of the room and down the stairs as quickly as he'd climbed up them. "It's all they talk about these days!" 

"But Phantom said Pointdexter might try to kidnap you!" Tucker said, hot on his heels. "Like he was talking about skipping town, he could just carry you away!"

Danny thought of the possessive arm over his shoulder, the uncertain threat of the ghost's telekinetic powers and paused at the bottom of the stairs. 

The thermos had been useless. 

"I'm just saying let's wait and see what happens," Tucker said. "Alright? Sam, back me up." 

She was pacing in the entryway, arguing with herself (or rather, with Dash) under her breath. Her Fenton Phones were clenched in her fists. 

"Sam?" Tucker stood directly in her path, stopping her in her tracks. "You doing okay in there?" 

She sneered at him. "Oh, I'm _ great_." She glanced over at Danny and gritted her teeth. "Fucking perfect." 

Once again, Danny wasn't sure if it was Sam or Dash talking. Maybe they didn't know either. 

He couldn't imagine how disorienting it would be to have someone else's voice in your head. Would you blend together? Would a new person be born?

_ "It's fascinating isn't it?" _ His mom had said once. "_J__ust trying to wrap your mind around the thought process of a being so different." _

And then dad had lifted a massive chainsaw over their heads. _ "We'll rip that thing apart molecule by molecule!" _ He'd cheered. _ "No mystery will go unsolved!" _

He felt bad for Sam and Dash, but they were stable enough weren't they? Phantom was the one in real _ danger_. 

Without really thinking about it further, Danny tentatively walked around them and opened the front door. 

"Wait, Danny," Tucker started. 

_ And what exactly was your plan? _ Danny would later ask himself. _ Run all the way back to school? _

Sam/ Dash didn't immediately react when Danny broke out into a run. But his head start didn't matter. 

Sam was an incredible runner, apparently. She caught up in what felt like seconds and tackled him to the ground. 

Flat on the ground, with her full weight on top of him, they all both took a moment to _ breath. _

Then Sam/ Dash leaned towards his ear and whispered. "I won't tell him about you if you don't tell him about _ me_, huh? C'mon, we're in the same boat here." 

She/they snorted. "In the same boat! This body. Is a boat." 

Danny twisted around to look at her and she slammed his face into the sidewalk. "Eh, he's fine," they said. "Just a little rough housing, eh Fenton?" 

"Get _ off_, Dash," Danny said. 

"I get off and we go back into your creepy ass house to wait for your parents," they said, then they sighed and Danny felt Sam's weight lift off of him. "Sorry Danny. Let's just try and figure this out. I know it's confusing…" 

He sat up and rubbed at his cheek. "Confusing. Yeah that's one way to put it." 

She extended a hand to help him up and he took it, but then she yanked her hand out of his hold and he lost his balance, falling back on his ass. 

"Dash!"

"I don't want to fucking hold hands with you!" They said. "Just get _ up_, God!" 

So he got up and followed them back into the house. 

_ We're in the same boat here_, one of them had said. 

Danny knew neither of them would answer if he asked them to elaborate. 


	15. Chapter 15

It would have been more convenient if they could read each other's minds. Then they wouldn't have to talk _ out loud _ about certain revelations that should forever remain unsaid. 

Sam swore to herself she'd kick Dash in the balls as soon as they got him back into his own damn body for that stupid threat he'd made in front of Danny. 

Because, yeah, they couldn't hear each other's _ thoughts _ , but there were physical reactions- uncontrollable hormonal processes- synaptic transmissions, there were _ things _ that could be felt automatically when you were sitting in someone else's _ skin. _

Or when someone else was a house guest in yours. 

Sam could feel her heart thundering in her chest as if she'd just run a marathon and all the blood rushed to her face whenever Danny made eye contact with them. A giddy little slap to the face. It was obvious. 

And she couldn't pin _ all _of it on Dash either, the bastard. 

Things seemed just as complicated when they found out about Phantom's possible capture. 

"They couldn't have just- just caught him like that!" Dash was insisting. "He's not like the other ghosts, he's-" 

"You're preaching to the choir, Dash." Danny was getting better at telling them apart. "We know he's a good guy." 

"Okay, so they'll probably prioritize the ghost possessing Dash's body, right?" Tucker, ever the voice of reason, wanted to calm everyone down. "They'll probably just keep Phantom in a net or thermos and leave him alone for a while-" 

"I should hope Dash would be the priority," Sam muttered. 

She wished her feelings for Phantom weren't so complicated. That she could shove aside the resentment and hurt- and fondness and concern- as easily as rearranging the furniture in her bedroom. 

And she wished Dash's feelings weren't so eerily similar. Or was he just feeling her feelings at this point? 

"But what if they _ shot _him?" Danny was saying. "Their weapons are made to-"

"You said yourself they're more interested in collecting ghosts than exterminating them," Tucker said. "They want to study them." 

Sam squinted at Tucker as he continued to comfort Danny. He'd been the only one among them with enough sense to find a first aid kit when he noticed Danny's scrapes (fucking Dash) and was calmly applying antiseptic to the wound on his cheek. 

She found herself smiling, despite everything else. Good old reliable Tuck. 

But she could also feel herself losing control of her body as her fists and teeth clenched.

"So what the hell are we supposed to do, techno-dork? Just sit around and play fucking nurse?" 

Dash felt very differently about Tucker than she did, then. It was good to know. A reassurance that they weren't mixing together. 

"The heck do _ you _think we should do then?" 

Dash blustered. Sam sighed. "It's a good idea to wait," she said. "I mean, this is literally home base." 

Danny fumbled his phone out of his pocket. "I'm going to call them." 

"And say what?" Dash said, throat tightening with more irrational anger. "Have you seen my ghost uncle?" 

Danny blinked. "Ghost uncle?" 

"Don't play stupid," Dash started, but Sam groaned and put her head in her hands. "Will you chill the fuck out? You're giving me a stress headache." 

"I figured it out, Fenton!" Dash continued, ignoring Sam entirely. 

She could only describe the grin on her own face as _ giddy _when she felt Dash pull them forward into Danny's personal space. 

They poked him in the chest and leaned up into his face. "The ghost boy is a Fenton, isn't he? A dead uncle or something." 

Then Sam burst out in uncontrollable giggles. 

"Uh, you're not entirely wrong?" Tucker said. 

Danny just stood there with his mouth hanging open. 

Sam could feel Dash's anger as she continued to laugh, not unlike her giggle fest when she initially discovered Dash's crush. 

"Shut up, Manson!" Dash pulled at their hair. "Shut the fuck up! The hell is so funny?" 

Before she could respond, Danny's parents finally burst into the house. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am very sorry about how short this chapter is and how infrequent the updates for this story have been. 
> 
> Normally I'm able to write roughly a 1,000 word draft in one sitting and then I'll polish it out and post it, but with this particular story I find myself writing in these weird little bursts. Like I'll get about 200 words in, say, and then have to step away in frustration and pace around and THINK.
> 
> Like: would so and so say that? No that line would fit better coming from X instead of X. Should this be in this POV or can I break formula and write someone other than Phantom/Danny even though I usually only do that in the opening chapter of an arc? And on and on. I spend more time thinking about this story than actually writing it at this point ;-;
> 
> Not to say I don't love Phantom Pain (it's my longest ongoing project and the idea that inspired me to make an AO3 account in the first place!) But the deeper I get into it the more I encounter these little obstacles and I just kind of want to get the details down perfectly? 
> 
> Probably because I love the story too much, haha. 
> 
> Anyway sorry. And sorry about the rant. 
> 
> I also posted another one shot? So there's that. (I'm becoming addicted to those plotless character building one shots, haha)


	16. Chapter 16

Dash nearly punched himself in the face, just to get the bitch to stop _ laughing. _ It's not like it was actually _ his _ face.

He settled for tugging at her hair (their hair?) and winced at the pain on their scalp. Was longer hair more painful to pull? He felt tears gathering at the corner of his eyes- _ their _ eyes- but also felt breathless as he continued to laugh. 

As _ she _continued to laugh. 

This shit was so goddamn confusing. Were the tears from the laughter or the pain? He quickly loosened his grip. 

Fenton and Foley shared a look and Dash was ready to punch their lights out- what the hell was he missing?!- but then Mr. and Mrs. Fenton barreled into the house with a giant water tank between them. 

Or he figured it was some kind of water tank. A fish tank? There was a sheet over it, but he could hear the water sloshing inside. 

And something knocking against glass. 

Manson's laughter dried up as they stared at the thing. 

Mrs. Fenton was slightly out of breath, her hair was disheveled and damp. It stuck to her face, but she paid it no mind. 

"Oh, kids, I'm glad you're here," Mrs. Fenton said. "We caught it! But we might need a bit of help getting the ghost out of your classmate." 

More banging on the glass and Dash felt his chest tightening, a soft little gasp. It was Manson, reacting to the news before he could process it.

"Wh-what kind of help?" Fenton said.

The grin Mrs. Fenton directed at them creeped Dash out. It was wide and half crazed, like when his mom stayed up all night redecorating the house. 

Mr. Fenton seemed more normal, until Dash realized he was covered in some kind of Jello. He pushed the tank past them and said over his shoulder, "C'mon boys help me get this sucker down to the lab!" 

The tank was on wheels. 

"Oh, Jack we should install a temporary ramp or something-" Mrs. Fenton started. 

"Nah, we'll just roll it down the stairs!" 

_ It's like helping Mom move the couch _ , Dash told himself. _ No big deal, no big deal. _

Except he realized, rather quickly, that he was stuck with noodles for arms. Manson had more muscle to her than her loser friends- apparently- but she had nothing compared to what Dash was used to. 

Mr. Fenton took the brunt of the tank's weight, holding it up as they slowly directed it into the Fenton's creepy basement. 

Dash flinched every time the thing inside knocked on the glass.

_ He's just a ghost _ , Dash told himself. _ In my body, but he's like a guy. Like Phantom. Just… dead. _

He wished he knew what the ghost looked like. He imagined a creepy vampire type of figure, with blue skin and sharp teeth. 

Nothing like Phantom, who was a little asshole, but also a _ hero _. He wouldn't take someone's body or trap them in a creepy mirror world.

Phantom had gone in there to save Dash, hadn't he? And he'd gotten Dash out. 

_ Phantom's eyes were GREEN, he was so pissed. The only spot of color in the black and white hallway. Then he breathed some kind of mist and everything was frozen. _

_ Dash lost his feet. Phantom pulled him up and _ broke _ him. His legs ended in jagged stumps. _

_ "I didn't mean to," Phantom had said. "You'll be fine! It's not your real body." _

Dash shivered.

"Here you go, Sam." Mrs. Fenton put a hand on his shoulder and handed him- them- a water hose. "Jack is going to pull him out of the tank and you hose him down okay? We need to get the stasis gel off him before putting him through the net." 

Dash blinked. He'd spaced out for a second. What had he missed? "The _ what _ gel?" 

He could feel Manson rolling her eyes. "Just let me handle it," she muttered.

But Mrs. Fenton was talking to Foley now. "The thermos is simple. You just point and shoot." 

"Wait, Mads, Tuck should man the camera," Mr. Fenton said. "This is a first, it's groundbreaking. We gotta record it!" 

"I _ do _have an eye for filming." Foley walked around the lab like he owned the place and pulled a camera from one of the cabinets. "Is this going to be like an exorcism?! Should we chain him to a bed?" 

Mr. Fenton was wearing some goofy metal gloves. They reminded Dash of Kwan's old Hulk gloves, but- well- metal. 

He punched them together and the resounding clang made Dash flinch. 

"Nah, I'll hold him down with these," Mr. Fenton said. "The Fenton Ghost Gauntlets! There's not a ghost in the world that can phase through 'em!" 

And the gloves sparked with some kind of green electricity. 

"Awesome!" Foley said. "A bit bulky, but nice and dramatic. Very cinematic." 

Dash felt himself cuff Foley upside the head, but it was one of those actions his body carried out without him. Manson did it and she glared at him. 

"Sorry." Tucker had been pointing his camera at Mr. Fenton- already filming?- but he lowered it sheepishly. "Uh, is Dash going to be okay?" 

"Don't worry, he'll be waking up good as new in a second." Mrs. Fenton was carrying a weird glowing green net thing. It was stretched out into a circle and attached to this big pole. "We're calling this one The Ghost Catcher." 

"Like a dream catcher," Manson said. "Uh, nice design." 

"Thank you!" Mrs. Fenton said. "Okay is everyone ready? Danny, you've got a thermos?" 

"Wait, _ what _is-" Dash started, but Manson cut him off. "We're ready." 

They were standing around the tank in a circle, Foley with the stupid camera and Fenton with a _ thermos _. What the hell was the thermos for?! 

He could feel Manson planting her feet and pointing the water hose towards the tank. Mr and Mrs. Fenton stood closer. She was holding up her weird net with a hand on the lid and Mr. Fenton was poised with his stupid gloves. 

When the sheet was pulled away he could see _ himself _ floating in a bunch of purple goop and breathing through an oxygen mask. Dash stared in horror at himself banging on the glass. 

"In three, two, one, go!" Mrs. Fenton pulled the lid off the tank and Mr. Fenton reached in and grabbed Dash's body- grabbed the ghost- by the armpits to hoist him out. 

Manson hosed him down and the ghost cried out, he cursed, but he was ignored. The net was passed over his head and a black and white boy in glasses and waist high khakis flew out. 

"Get him Danny!" Mrs. Fenton shouted. 

Dash felt his world tilting as he lurched forward. Everything blurred and faded and he tried to curl in on himself, tried to touch the floor as he wobbled, but he had no control. 

And then he was coughing, and he was wet, and familiar blond bangs were in his face when he opened his eyes. 

"I didn't mean to," Fenton was saying. "I guess I missed?" 

And the Fenton parents were running out of the house as quickly as they'd barreled in. 

"The fuck," Dash muttered. "What happened?" 

Manson grabbed him by the elbow and hauled him up. "You got your body back," she said. "Don't worry about the rest." 


	17. Chapter 17

The first thing he noticed was sand. Phantom sank into the warm fuzzy mess of it and giggled, digging his hands and feet under its surface.

Then he thought to blink up at his surroundings. The stars greeted him overhead, faintly visible despite the city's air pollution, and so did a familiar set of rusted old jungle gym bars.

"Jazz said this was your favorite playground." 

Phantom startled at the voice and turned to see Fenton anxiously crouched beside him, screwing the lid back onto the Fenton thermos.

"It was your favorite because the jungle gym here was taller than anywhere else?" Fenton clipped the thermos to his belt. "That's what she said. Oh, and the sandbox. You like it?" 

The sandbox was definitely great. Phantom was nearly elbow deep. He was tempted to bury himself completely, but felt a little silly on his hands and knees.

Fenton looked silly too. He was moving his hands oddly, like a mime pretending to feel up an invisible box.

"I couldn't climb for shit." Phantom turned himself around to properly sit down and nonchalantly leaned back on his hands, so he could still sink his fingers into the sand. "I made dad lift me up and then I'd walk on top of it. I had decent balance." 

Fenton knocked on the air and there was a strange green reverberation. Like ripples in a pond. 

_ Oh _. 

"A shield!" Phantom squinted at it. "Must have been instinctual. I'm not so great at controlling them yet." 

"At least you're visible," Fenton said. "Do you feel okay?" 

Phantom wiggled his toes and wished he could take off his boots. "I'm solid." 

Fenton knocked on the shield again and Phantom frowned. It was keeping them apart. 

Then Fenton pressed his weight against it at just the wrong moment and fell forward, landing in Phantom's lap. 

Phantom giggled as Fenton scrambled to his feet. 

"Aw, you could have made yourself comfortable there," Phantom said, straightening up and playfully batting his eyelashes. "Lay your head down and get a look at the stars?" 

Fenton kicked sand into Phantom's face, but said nothing. 

Normally he'd lecture Phantom about a comment like that. Call him a weirdo or accuse him of… 

"Fenton?" 

Fenton glanced around the park, as if worried about interruption, and then sat down with his legs crossed and back straight. 

"You seem tense," Phantom said. "Everything okay?" 

The park was completely deserted. The stars were oddly bright. 

"Hey, what time is it?" Phantom said. 

_ What day is it? _ He wondered. It was hard to tell how much time he'd spent in the thermos.

"It's late." Fenton scratched his cheek. "Hey, what exactly does it feel like?" 

"What does what feel like?" 

Fenton scooted closer and put his arm around Phantom's shoulder. The human kept getting taller and the position was reminiscent of those times Jazz had cuddled him close for late night reassurances. 

Was Jazz still taller than Fenton? Or had he overshot her? 

"Nevermind," Fenton said. "Let's get out of here." 

"And go where?" 

"Tucker's house." 

Phantom tried to get a good look at him.

Fenton kept glancing around nervously. He was worried about something.

"Uh, why Tucker's?"

"He said you owe him a bro-date." Fenton shrugged. "So I just figured we should see him. I dunno." 

Something was going unsaid here. 

"What happened with Dash and Pointdexter?" 

"Mom and dad took care of it," Fenton said. "So your stupid plan worked, I guess." 

As quickly as he'd given the affection, Fenton took it away. He let go of Phantom and stood up. 

"Are you mad?" 

"You let yourself get _ caught _." Fenton turned away, crossing his arms tightly across his chest. "Do you know how long it took me to steal the thermos? If mom and dad hadn't gotten sidetracked-"

His voice cracked on the word 'sidetracked.'

Phantom rubbed at the back of his neck. 

"Sorry?" 

A flock of birds flew out of a tree behind them and Fenton spun around and threw his hands out wide.

It wasn't a defensive pose. 

It was like he was trying to shield Phantom with his body. 

"Don't think those birds want to hurt us," Phantom murmured. 

Fenton lowered his arms. "Right." 

They regarded each other for a moment. 

"Listen I-" Fenton started.

"If you-" Phantom stopped short to let the other speak. 

They awkwardly smiled at each other. 

Fenton cleared his throat. "Uh, let's just go?" 

"Sure." Phantom opened his arms, prepared to carry the human into the air.

Fenton winced. "Can I climb on your back or something?" 

Phantom tilted his head. "That would be… different." 

"Is that a no?"

Phantom shrugged. "Do you need me to, like, kneel?" 

Fenton walked around him. "Nah, you're pretty short." He hugged Phantom from behind and rested his chin on his head. 

Rude.

"You'll need to wrap your legs around me," Phantom said, leaning forward to pull Fenton off his feet. "It's like a piggy back ride." 

"Okay maybe this isn't the best- hey!" 

Phantom launched them into the air and Fenton had no choice but to cling on for his life. "Too late."

"Slow down!" Fenton shouted. 

"Speed up? Sure!" 

"Phantom!"

It felt good to fly again.

They waited for Tucker in his empty bedroom with the lights off. 

Fenton stood stiffly beside the door, head tilted towards the crack to listen to the noises of the house.

They could hear silverware clinking against dishes and the soft indistinct murmuring of conversation from a floor below. The Foley's were having dinner.

When footsteps approached them Fenton held his breath.

As the door opened, he sprang. He grabbed Tucker and immediately covered his mouth, urgently shushing him. 

Phantom remained invisible throughout this and kept his distance.

He had so many questions. 

"Dude, _ what the fuck _," Tucker whispered, fiercely. "Your parents are flipping out!"

"I know, I know!" Fenton glanced around the room uneasily and Phantom placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

"They called Sam, they called me." Tucker finally turned the lights on and glared at Fenton. "Then they called our parents 'cause they thought one of us was lying!"

"I'm sorry, okay?" Fenton said. "But I needed to get Phantom out-"

Tucker softened at that and eyed the thermos on Fenton's belt. "Oh shit, is he still in there?" 

Fenton put his hand over Phantom's and gave it a squeeze. "No, he's here."

Phantom let go of his invisibility with a sheepish grin. "Heeey, Tuck." 

"Hey man!" Tucker clapped him on the shoulder. "Good to see you in one piece." 

"Thanks," Phantom said. "So, uh, do either of you want to catch me up? I feel like I've missed a lot." 

"Well, my parents are pissed." Fenton scratched his cheek "You probably already guessed as much." 

Tucker rolled his eyes. "The whole _ town _is still panicking about that thing with Dash." 

"Don't exaggerate, Tuck." 

"It's not an exaggeration!" 

Fenton winced at the way the other's voice rose and they both paused, glancing at the bedroom door. 

Nothing happened.

Tucker lowered his voice and turned to Phantom. "They decided to cancel school-"

"We were only a month away from summer vacation anyway," Fenton interjected.

Tucker scoffed at him.

"Everyone was already kind of nervous about the ghost 'epidemic'," Tucker continued. "But now that they know ghosts can possess people, the PTA parents flipped out. They don't think the school is safe." 

"Like the school is any different than anyplace else in Amity Park," Fenton muttered. "The whole town is contaminated since the portal-"

"I _ know _, dude. Chill out." Tucker pulled his phone out and started typing away. "Sam says you're a dumbass by the way. But I'll bet she'll be happy to know you're here." 

Fenton huffed, and might have retorted, but Phantom cut in to finally ask, "How long was I in the thermos?" 

He should have just asked in the first place.

"A week?" Tucker said. "I honestly thought Mrs. F was gonna strap you to a lab table first thing, but-"

"It's been nine days," Fenton corrected. "And they've both been busy making ghost shields. A lot of people have them in their houses now-"

"And maybe I should get one too," Tucker said. "Who knows when Pointdexter will want another taste of the good life-"

"Shut up, Tuck!" Fenton hissed. 

"He didn't get caught?" Phantom glanced between the two of them. "Pointdexter's still around?" 

Fenton covered his face with his hands and Tucker raised his eyebrows.

"You didn't tell him about your little-" Tucker started. 

Fenton shoved at his shoulder. "Look, he's free, but he's gone. He won't come back." 

"How do you know he won't come back?" Phantom said. 

"He just won't, okay?" Fenton rubbed at the back of his neck. "Sidney, he…lost interest?" 

Tucker gave Phantom a meaningful look, but Phantom couldn't decipher it. 

"Lost interest," Phantom echoed. "But didn't

he want-"

"Whatever he wanted before, he doesn't care anymore," Fenton said, firmly. "And he's not a problem. Just trust me on that." 

Not for the first time, Phantom wished he could read his human's mind. 

Fenton was holding something back, he was _ hiding _, and Phantom couldn't understand what or why. 

Had he always been this evasive? 

"Anyway, what's the plan here?" Tucker said. "Are you spending the night? Cause if my mom catches you she's gonna call your parents. Guess Phantom can just invisibility blanket you, but-" 

"No, I need to get home," Fenton said. "I just wanted to make sure Phantom was somewhere safe first. Considering all the-"

"Yeah, yeah-" Tucker said. "But what, are you gonna walk home? It's kind of far." 

"Shouldn't I fly you home?" Phantom said.

"No!" Fenton and Foley both said at once. 

Phantom frowned. 

"They've got a tracker now-" Fenton started. 

"It has a limited range, but-" Tucker took off his beanie and nervously flapped it against his hands, glancing between Phantom and Fenton. "Sorry, you explain it." 

"It's just, they're probably in the Fenton RV looking for me." Fenton grimaced, as if the idea were distasteful.

"Yup, they are," Tucker said. "They were here for a bit, interrupted dinner. We had to reheat everything and man, meatloaf does not taste the same out of the microwave…" 

Tucker often fell back on humor in stressful situations. It was something he and Phantom had always had in common and usually light hearted nitpicks like that could be the start of an irrational giggle fest. 

But this was not just a stressful situation. What _ would _happen if his parents caught him, and kept hold of him this time? 

He'd be lucky if they tossed him in the ghost zone.

"Anyway, we don't want them catching us together," Fenton said. "I'm just going to walk for a bit and then I'll call them. They can pick me up. But I want you to be out of range." 

_ And then what? _ Phantom thought. _ Go back to business as usual? _

They all just stood looking at each other, then. It was like they'd finally realized something was wrong here. 

And someone was dead. 

Phantom could see their breath as the two humans in front of him breathed in the chill of him, the cold he'd stirred up once again just by existing for too long. By feeling too much.

They stood stiffly and didn't comment on the temperature. But Tucker couldn't conceal a big shiver. 

Phantom cleared his throat. "I'll just fly you back outside, then." 

"R-right. Thanks." Fenton didn't quibble about being carried this time. He allowed Phantom to scoop him up and carry him like a bride. 

When he deposited the human onto the sidewalk, Phantom was granted a lingering hug. "Stay safe, okay?" 

"You too," Phantom said. 

He flew back to Tucker and they watched Fenton from the window. He walked away with his hands shoved in his pockets. 

"So what really happened with Pointdexter?" Phantom said. 

Tucker chuckled. "He dumped Danny." 

"Dumped him?"

"Yeah, it was kind of hilarious how pissed off he was about it. Danny, I mean." Tucker theatrically glared to the side and waggled his finger. "You think _ I _look different, Sidney? How does that even make sense! You're the one with a different face!"

Phantom processed that for a moment. Really tried to wrap his head around it. But the idea was baffling.

Fenton had, what, gotten a crush on that ghost? On that _ guy _? 

"So then..." Phantom scratched his head. "So then Fenton's gay?" 

Nothing wrong with it in and of itself, but wasn't gayness genetic? Phantom himself had always liked girls. 

"Nah, he's bi," Tucker said, offhandedly. He was typing away at his phone again, unconcerned by the dilemma. 

But then he looked up and scrutinized the look on Phantom's face. "_ Oh _," Tucker said. "Does that mean you're bi too? Since you're both kind of… the same person?" 

"I'm straight!" Phantom said. "I've never…" 

Never looked at a guy that way, he wanted to say. 

Or had he?

Tucker hummed thoughtfully. "I guess you guys are more like brothers, or something. Even with twins sometimes one is gay or bisexual or something. It's not unheard of." 

Brothers. Were they brothers? Not clones, not two halves of the same person?

The idea was unsettling.

"Anyway, how about a movie marathon?" Tucker said. "We can stay up all night, maybe play some video games too. It'll be just like old times." 

There was no point in dwelling on it, Phantom supposed.

"That sounds great," he said. "We'll pretend it's summer vacation." 

"For all intents and purposes, it _ is _summer vacation," Tucker grinned. "And summer is early this year! Just goes to show there's a bright side to every natural disaster."

"And the unnatural ones too," Phantom quipped. 

"Especially those!" Tucker dug out a crate of DVDs from under his bed. "So are we thinking alphabetical or by year?" 

"Surprise me." 

Tucker closed his eyes and stuck his hand in the box, randomly selecting a movie. 

Whatever it was, Phantom knew it would be good. Tucker had the best taste in movies.

"Little Shop of Horrors," Tucker said. "Killer effects, morbid storyline _ and _ it's a musical." 

"I've seen the movie, Tuck, you don't have to sell it to me." 

"Right. You have." Tucker sat back on his heels and regarded Phantom. "I kind of got used to having to explain things to Danny from scratch. He hasn't seen a lot of these yet." 

Phantom looked into the box. Every DVD was familiar to him. He'd watched and re-watched them countless times. 

"Do he and I have the same tastes, do you think?" 

"Good question," Tucker said. "Very good question." 

But Tucker didn't have a clear answer for him. 

Some questions just hung in the air like that. And they moved on, as if they hadn't been asked.   
  


**END PART FOUR**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally done with this arc! :D
> 
> So you might have noticed that each arc in this series is longer than the last 😂 That was mostly intentional, but oh boy, this is the longest fic I've ever completed. I really struggled to wrap it up. 
> 
> But now it's done and the first chapter for the next arc "The Family Business" is already done too! :D


End file.
